SPRINGFIELD – Behind 28 points from Keith Palek III and a closing 22-2 run over the game's final five minutes, Missouri State overcame a late 65-52 deficit to top visiting University of Texas Rio Grande Valley 74-67 Saturday afternoon at GSB Arena.
 
Down 65-52 with 5:19 remaining after an 8-0 UTRGV (2-3) run, the Bears (3-2) responded with an 11-0 spurt over the next three minutes to close to 65-63 on a Kobi Williams 3-pointer with 2:23 on the clock.
 
After Michael Osei-Bonsu grabbed an offensive rebound and scored to pull the Bears within a point, Williams hit a pair of free throws to give MoState a 68-67 lead with 1:09 left, beginning an 8-for-8 stretch at the foul line for MSU over the final 69 seconds to seal the victory.
 
Zaxton King was quickly in double figures with 10 of his 12 points coming during an 18-10 start for the Bears, but that was met by a 14-0 run by the Vaqueros over nearly seven minutes that helped the visitors take a 30-28 lead into intermission.
 
UTRGV slowly built its lead to 13 in the second half when Marvin McGhee III scored with 5:19 left to play, setting the stage for the Bears' dramatic comeback.
 
Palek's 28 points all came in the final 24 minutes of the game, while the senior also added game highs of nine rebounds and five assists, ultimately scoring or assisting on 40 of MSU's 74 points.
 
King finished with 12 points, Williams had 11 and Osei-Bonsu scored 10 to give the Bears four double-figure scorers.
 
MoState committed just six turnovers in the game, finishing plus eight in that category to help overcome a 36-26 rebounding deficit. The Bears shot 19-for-26 at the foul line and 9-for-32 from 3-point land, with Palek going 12-for-14 and 4-for-9 from those distances, respectively.
 
The Bears continue a three-game home stand on Monday at 7 p.m. against Long Island. Tickets are available at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or by visiting the Athletics Box Office at GSB Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.