Missouri State battled Tulsa on Wednesday night (photo/TulsaHurricane.com)

Missouri State battled Tulsa on Wednesday night (photo/TulsaHurricane.com)

Missouri State junior Marcus Marshall scored 23 of his game-high 36 points in the second half, but it was not enough as the Bears (5-5) fell 74-70 to the Tulsa Golden Hurricane here Wednesday.  Marshall was 11-for-17 from the field and 7-for-9 from 3-point range to set a Reynolds Center opponent scoring record and match an arena 3-point shooting record. He was also a perfect 7-for-7 from the line.

Missouri State, which trailed 29-28 at the half, took the lead briefly on a Marshall 3-pointer with 15 minutes to play and regained it less than a minute later on a baseline jumper by Tyler McCullough. But nine different times in the second half, when the Bears were within 2 points of the lead, Tulsa scored clutch shots to stretch its lead. James Woodard did so on four occasions, and his 3-ball with 4:23 left was a huge turning point as it squelched another Marshall trey and gave the home side a 65-61 lead headed into the final media timeout.

Missouri State finished 25-of-57 (.439) from the field and 10-of-19 (.526) from beyond the arc while continuing to fire at an impressive clip at the foul line, making 10-of-11 (.909). The Bears committed 11 turnovers, five of which were caused by Tulsa steals, and were outscored in the paint, 36-16.