SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State seniors Michael Osei-Bonsu and Keith Palek III combined for 30 points and 17 rebounds here Saturday, but it wasn't enough as visiting Middle Tennessee spoiled the Bears' senior night with a 75-63 decision in the regular-season finale for both clubs.
 
Osei-Bonsu finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the campaign and his 11^th 20-point game, while Palek's 10 points and 6 rebounds made him the only Bear in program history to eclipse 500 points, 200 rebounds and 100 assists in the same season.
 
Missouri State (14-17, 8-12 CUSA) will be the No. 9 seed for next week's Conference USA Tournament in Huntsville, Ala., and will take on No. 8 FIU at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday evening (ESPN+).
 
Torey Alston led Middle Tennessee (17-14, 11-9 CUSA) with 17 points, while Tre Green scored 12 points behind four of his team's nine 3-pointers.
 
The last three minutes of the first half may have decided the game's outcome with the Blue Raiders ending the stanza on an 11-2 run. After a traditional three-point play by Osei-Bonsu with 3:44 to go in the first half made it a 26-25 game, the visitors made four straight field goals to end the half.
 
Two treys from Alec Oglesby and a third from Jarred Hall – all in the final three minutes – elevated MTSU to a 37-27 halftime lead.
 
Missouri State's Kobi Williams opened the second half with a 3-pointer – his first of three in the second half – to make it a seven-point game, but the Bears could not inch closer.
 
MTSU's lead would return to 10 moments later on a triple from Sean Smith, and the Blue Raiders' held a double-figure advantage for the next 12 minutes.
 
Before the final media timeout of the game, the Bears trimmed their deficit to single-digits three times -- first on a pair of dunks by Osei-Bonsu at the 11:25 mark; then on free throw by Osei-Bonsu with 5:55 to play; and finally on a charity shot by Zaxton King at the 4:46 mark.
 
However, the Murfreesboro brood continued to pile up productive possessions and refused to break, responding each time the Bears made a move.
 
Coming out of the under-four break, Osei-Bonsu scored back-to-back layups to make it a 68-61 game with 2:27 to go. MTSU immediately called a timeout and parlayed the timely huddle into a 7-2 surge over the game's final two minutes to put it out of reach.
 
The Bears finished the day 23-of-55 (.418) from the field, despite a 52-percent effort in the second half. MSU was also 5-of-23 (.217) from downtown and 12-for-17 (.706) at the foul line with 34 points in the paint and 16 assists.
 
Osei-Bonsu also led the Bears in assists with 5 on the afternoon with scoring support from Kobi Williams with 12 and Trey Williams Jr. with 11.
 
Middle Tennessee was 26-of-56 (.464) shooting, including 9-for-21 (.429) from three and a clutch 14-of-16 (.875) at the foul line with a 33-30 rebounding advantage and 25 bench points.
  
The Conference USA Tournament will be played at Propst Arena in Huintsville, March 10-14. Tickets are available online at Ticketmaster. The tournament central page is located HERE.