SPRINGFIELD – Kobi Williams scored a career-high 32 points, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range, to lead Missouri State past visiting New Mexico State, 89-82, here Sunday, as the Bears won their fifth in a row.
 
MoState (9-5, 3-0 CUSA) also got 16 points from Keith Palek III, including 15 in the second half, while Trey Williams Jr. scored 13, and Michael Osei-Bonsu added 12. The Bears also got a team-high 9 rebounds from Darrion Sutton on his birthday.
 
New Mexico State (8-5, 1-2 CUSA) was led by Julius Mims who had 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jemel Jones contributed 18 off the bench for the Aggies.
 
The Bears led for nearly 39 minutes in the contest, but the outcome was far from one sided as New Mexico State whittled a 12-point halftime deficit down to one on a dunk by Mims with 10:22 to play. The Aggies then took the lead briefly on a pair of free throws from Anthony Wrzeszcz that made it a 67-66 game at the 10:09 mark.
 
That's when Palek took over for Missouri State. The senior poured in 13 straight Bears points over a key seven-minute stretch to keep things afloat. His traditional-three-point play with 9:50 to go, restored the lead to the home side, 69-67, and MSU would never trail again.
 
Sutton's offensive rebound and layup at the seven-minute mark ignited a 8-4 mini-run by Missouri State. Kobi Williams joined in with six straight Bears points, the last of which was a driving layup to give the home club a five-point lead at the four-minute mark.
 
One of the biggest shots of the night came from Antwan Burnett who buried a 3-pointer with just over two minutes remaining, then dove to the floor to force a NMSU turnover a minute later. The hustle play led to two free throws by Zaxton King moments later, putting MoState ahead 85-76.
 
New Mexico State's Elijah Elliott scored six points in the game's final minute, including an unusual four-point play, to finish with 16 points on the afternoon. But the Bears were able to finish things out with Kobi and Burnett combining for four free throws down the stretch to seal it and give the Bears their first 3-0 start in conference play since 2017-18.
 
Williams' seven triples was just one shy of the MSU program record and matched the fifth-most in squad history. Likewise, his 32-point effort was the most points scored by a Bear since Alston Mason dropped 36 on Drake on Jan. 24, 2024. His previous career high was set during his time at Truman State when he logged 31 points, 10 rebounds and 12 field goals against Williams Jewell on March 1, 2025.
 
For the afternoon, Missouri State shot 46.3 percent overall on 25-of-54 field goals and converted 10-of-21 (.476) from downtown. The Bears also finished 29-of-39 (.744) at the line with 34 rebounds 14 assists and 7 steals, including three by Burnett.
 
New Mexico State made 28-of-61 (.459) shots overall, 7-for-18 (.389) from beyond the arc, and 19-for-23 (.826) at the line with 35 rebounds, 32 points in the paint and 38 points from the pine.
 
In the first half, Kobi Williams went 6-for-7 from 3-point range – including five triples in the game's first five minutes -- as part of a 20-point period to push MoState ahead 53-41 at the break. Trey Williams also buried a pair of long shots in the opening 20 minutes, including a critical bucket from the left corner with 17 seconds left in the half to restore a double-figure lead at the intermission.
 
The Bears shot 58.6 percent from the field in the first stanza and made 8-of-13 (.615) from beyond the arc with 15 second-chance points off 8 offensive rebounds.
 
Mims was 6-for-9 from the field with 7 rebounds and 16 total points for the Aggies in the first period.
 
After a three-game week to open the conference campaign, the Bears now head to Kennesaw State on Wednesday for a 6 p.m. (Central) showdown against the Owls in Georgia. The Bears will return to Great Southern Banks Arena on Saturday, Jan. 10 for a showdown against FIU at 4 p.m.
 
Tickets for the FIU game and all remaining home games, are available at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or through the MSU Athletics Box Office at Great Southern Bank Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular office hours.
 
A complete list of season promotions and ticket specials is also available at MissouriStateBears.com/promotions.