SPRINGFIELD – Visiting Long Island nearly doubled up Missouri State in the second half and shot better than 60 percent for the game to frustrate the home standing Bears in a 75-61 loss here Monday.
 
Missouri State (3-3) was led by Zaxton King's 15 points, while Keith Palek III added 13, Kobi Williams Scored 12, and Michael Osei-Bonsu contributed 10 points and a team-high 7 rebounds.
 
Long Island (4-3) got a game-high 18 points and 4 assists from Melachi Davis with Jamal Fuller pitching in 14, and Greg Gordon scoring 13 points for the visitors. Tre'shawn Sheppard added 8 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Sharks, who finished 29-of-48 (.604) from the field.
 
A double-digit loss was the farthest thing from Missouri State's mind in the first half. The Bears took a 40-35 lead into the intermission as King scored 11 points in the opening 20 minutes, while Palek and Williams added 8 points apiece for the home club which led by a dozen on five occasions.
 
The Bears' 31-19 advantage with 6:19 left in the opening half was a comfortable position before the tables turned. The visiting Sharks converted their last five field goal attempts to close out the stanza and got as close as 39-35 in the final minute.
 
That momentum continued in the second half with LIU scoring the first six points of the second period to briefly gain a 41-40 lead.  From there, the advantage changed hands seven times before a decisive 14-1 surge by the Sharks over a six-minute stretch put the Bears on the short end of a 64-49 score with just 5:46 to play.
 
MSU would whittle away over the next couple of minutes to draw within 68-58 with just over three minutes remaining after a trey by Palek, a second-chance bucket and two free throws from Osei-Bonsu, and a slick layup from King.
 
But it was simply not Missouri State's night from the perimeter. The Bears made just one of their last 18 attempts from beyond the arc and could not get enough defensive stops down the stretch. The Bears were just 4-for-14 from the field over the game's final 11 minutes, while LIU was 11-for-13 in that same span, including seven buckets in the paint.
 
When the smoke cleared, Missouri State finished 22-of-55 (.400) shooting overall, 3-of-22 (.136) from long range, and 14-of-27 (.519) at the line. The Bears did rack up 34 points in the paint and 17 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds – including four offensive caroms by Darryon Sutton off the bench.
 
LIU finished at 60.4 percent from the field, 6-of-15 (.400) from long range and 11-of-18 (.611) at the foul line with a 33-27 rebounding advantage, and 6 blocks.
 
The Bears will have the rest of the week off before resuming play on Sunday, Nov. 30 against Northeastern (Okla.) State at 2 p.m. to conclude their three-game home stand. A pregame Bears Surplus Sale in the west concourse will open at 12 Noon.
 
Tickets for the Northeastern State game and all remaining home games, can be purchased at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or by visiting the Athletics Box Office at Great Southern Bank Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours.
 
A complete list of season promotions and ticket specials is also available at MissouriStateBears.com/promotions.