From staff reports
sports@joplinglobe.com
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri State got 24 points from sophomore Kyle Weems and shot a season-high 60.4-percent from the field to beat Middle Tennessee 87-79 in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament on Wednesday.
The Bears (21-12), whose team shooting effort was also a JQH Arena record, will learn their next opponent at the conclusion of the tournament’s opening round tonight. The tournament pairings are redrawn after each round based on geographic and conference considerations.
Missouri State held off a pesky Blue Raiders team down the stretch. MTSU finished with an impressive shooting performance of its own, firing at a 53.6-percent clip for the game. Senior Desmond Yates notched a game-high 30 points, including 10 in the final 4 1/2 minutes.
After the Bears built a 64-48 lead on Weems’ third 3-pointer of the game at the 9:05 mark of the second half, Middle Tennessee stormed back to make it a game. Yates’ 3-pointer at the 4:30 mark made it a 68-66 contest as the Blue Raiders concluded an 18-4 run that included four treys.
However, on Missouri State’s next possession, Adam Leonard drained his third long-range shot of the night to build the Bears’ lead back to five. From there, Missouri State executed to perfection, making all seven free throw attempts down the stretch and keeping MTSU at least five points behind the rest of the way.
Weems’ 3-pointer with 2:32 to play extended Missouri State’s lead to 76-68, and nearly a minute later, Will Creekmore completed a traditional three-point play to give MSU an 81-71 edge with 99 seconds to go.
The Blue Raiders closed within 85-79 with 42 seconds on the clock before Leonard iced a pair of free throws in the six seconds later.
Middle Tennessee hit nine of its 11 3-pointers in the second half, while the Bears were 8-of-9 from long distance in the final 20 minutes.
For the game, the Bears finished 29-for-48 from the field and 9-of-16 (.563) from three-point range, matching a season-best. The Bears were also 20-of-24 (.833) at the free throw line. With so few missed shots in the contest, the Bears grabbed a season-low 24 rebounds, matching Middle Tennessee’s total.
Leonard scored 17 points for the Bears, joining Weems, Creekmore (14) and Jermaine Mallett (13) in double figures as the Bears improved to 16-2 at JQH Arena this season. Creekmore’s seven rebounds was a game high, while Nafis Ricks notched a game-high five assists for MSU.
In addition to Yates’ 30 points, the Blue Raiders got 16 from Montarrio Haddock and 13 from Washington. Yates, who was the most valuable player of Missouri State’s home tournament last season, ended his career with 1,775 points in 122 games.
The announced attendance of 3,023 was the fourth-lowest since the 1982-83 season for the Bears who averaged more than 7,300 fans per home game during the regular season.
