Box Score HUNTSVILLE, Ala. – Missouri State buried eight 3-pointers in the second half and shot 53 percent for the game in a gritty 75-72 victory over FIU here Tuesday in the opening round of the Air National Guard Conference USA Men's Basketball Championship.
 
The No. 9-seeded Bears got 15 points from Kobi Williams and 13 points apiece by Keith Palek III, Trey Williams Jr. and Zaxton King to top the No. 8 Panthers.
 
Missouri State (15-17) advances to play top-seeded Liberty on Wednesday evening at 5:30 p.m. (ESPN+) in the first quarterfinal matchup.
 
With the game tied and less than two minutes to play, it was a Kobi Williams triple with 1:45 to go that put the Bears up for good. Palek then iced it with a pair of free throws in the final 13 seconds.  The Panthers (15-17) called a timeout near their bench with 0.9 seconds to go but their desperation shot at the buzzer was offline.
 
The Mo State rally in the last two minutes capped off a gritty effort down the stretch after FIU pushed ahead by six with just eight minutes remaining after the Panthers got to the free throw line on six straight possessions.
 
The Bears kept their composure with a three by Trey Williams making it a three-point game at the 7:25 mark before Kobi Williams cut the deficit to 60-59 with six-and-a-half to go. Finally, it was a layup from Michael Osei-Bonsu at the six-minute mark that gave the Bears a one-point lead.
 
The Panthers regained the advantage briefly on a reverse layup by Corey Stephenson on FIU's next possession, but King's fourth triple of the night swung the momentum back to the maroon club. Palek later extended the MSU advantage to 66-62 on a short jumper just before the final media timeout of the game.
 
FIU inched closer on a pair of free throws by Zawdie Jackson, but Palek buried another triple for Missouri State at 3:38 to make it 69-64. 
 
The Panthers would get five straight points from Stephenson to knot things up, 69-69, at the 2:09 mark – the game's third and final tie – before Kobi Williams and Palek secured the victory down the stretch.
 
Stephenson led all players with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Eric Dibami snagged 13 rebounds, and Jackson tallied 19 points, mostly at the free throw line, to pace the Panthers' efforts.
 
Missouri State's 11 threes marked the squad's most since Jan. 17 at Middle Tennessee and most ever in a conference tournament game. King made four, followed by three by Kobi Williams, two from Trey Williams Jr. and one apiece by Palek and Melakih Cunningham.
 
The Bears also improved to 6-0 this season when the shoot 50 percent from the field, making 26-of-49 (.531) overall and 11-for-25 (.423) from long range. MSU made the free throws it needed down the stretch, but finished 12-of-22 (.545) for the game. The winning squad also registered 18 assists, including 8 by Palek and and 7 by Trey Williams Jr.
 
King's 13-point effort marked his most points since the Jan. 10 meeting between the same clubs and helped the Bears own a 19-2 advantage in bench scoring.

Cunningham's team-high 6 rebounds was a team high for the Bears.
 
FIU was 26-of-55 (.473) overall from the field, 3-for-14 (.214) from three and 17-of-27 (.630) at the stripe with a 38-27 rebounding advantage and 17 second-chance points on 16 offensive caroms.
 
In the first half, the Bears shot 48 percent from the field, but allowed FIU to reel off eight unanswered points in the final two minutes to trail 36-31 at the half.
 
FIU managed 8 second-chance points off 8 offensive boards and converted 11 fast-break points, including six in the pivotal late run.
 
Mo State surrendered four second-chance points in the opening four minutes of the game, but made their first three shot of the night, including a triple from King, to stay within 10-9 at the first media break.
 
After falling behind by four, the Bears rallied behind an 8-2 mini-run midway through the period with King's bucket giving the Bears a 21-20 lead, and a pair of free throws by Trey Williams Jr. give the No. 9 seed a 23-20 lead with 7:13 left before the intermission.
 
FIU rallied for six straight to lead 26-23 before a called Bears timeout at the 5:04 mark. The lead would change hands four more times before the break with backcourt scoring from Tyrique Brooks and Trey Williams, both giving the maroon club brief advantages in the final three-plus minutes before FIU's late rally.
   
Tournament Central | Tickets