Bears Fall At MVC Tourney, NCAA Status In Doubt

The Missouri State Bears now sit squarely on the NCAA Tournament bubble. The Bears shot just 29 percent in a 57-42 loss to Northern Iowa on Friday night. Leading scorer Blake Ahearn was held to just two points on a pair of free throws. The Bears now 20-8 on the year and will have to wait until next Sunday to find out their postseason fate. Northern Iowa will play Southern Illinois in a semifinal game today in St. Louis. The Salukis got 25 points from Jamaal Tatum in a 71-55 win over Evansville. The other semifinal will pit top-seed Wichita State against Bradley. The Shockers rolled to an 81-63 win over Indiana State, while Bradley beat Creighton 54-47.