Missouri State (11-15, 7-7 MVC) overcame an early overtime deficit Saturday and rallied for an 89-85 victory over visiting Indiana State at JQH Arena in Missouri Valley Conference play.
Senior Camyn Boone scored a career high 30 points on 11-of-18 shooting for MSU with 12 rebounds en route to his third career double-double. Teammates Chris Kendrix and Dequon Miller tossed in 19 points apiece with Kendrix adding 12 boards in his first career double-double.
Missouri State held a 77-73 lead with 20 seconds to go in regulation after a pair of Miller free throws. The Bears fouled Brown with 12.2 ticks remaining, and after he made one of two from the stripe, the Sycamores’ Laquarious Paige stole the in-bound pass and dished it to Scott who drained a game-tying 3-pointer from the left corner.
Miller got off a 3-point attempt from the top of the key as time expired, but it caromed off the rim, forcing MSU’s second overtime game at home in two weeks.
ISU built an 83-79 lead in overtime after Brown knocked down a close-range jumper and a layup in extra time. Boone halted the mini Sycamore run with a quick bucket off the glass for the Bears, and then Kendrix gave the home side the lead with 59 seconds left on a clutch trey from the right wing.
ISU had two cracks at the rim from close range on its ensuing possession, but Ryan Kreklow scraped out the second rebound, and the Bears milked the clock down to 20 seconds before Miller was fouled and went back to the line. He made both free throws to give the Bears an 86-83 cushion.
From there, MSU played it safe, fouling Brown before the hot-shooting ISU club could get off a 3-point attempt. Brown missed one of his two charity shots, and Boone was quickly fouled by the Sycamores at the 11-second mark. He also made one of two to make it 87-84, and MSU employed the same strategy on ISU’s next possession. Brown repeated his previous trip to the stripe, missing the second shot this time.
In the deciding moments, Kendrix was fouled with 7.3 ticks showing, and he responded by connecting on both free throws to give the Bears a four-point lead for the first time since the end of regulation. ISU attempted a 3-pointer before the final horn, but Brown’s shot was off target, giving Missouri State its third straight home win.
With the win, Missouri State moved into a tie with Indiana State for the coveted sixth spot in the MVC standings with four games to play. MSU is also just one game behind fifth-place Northern Iowa and a game-and-a-half behind fourth-place Evansville.
Story: Missouri State Athletics
