Bears Clinch Victory Despite Late Surge from Lindenwood

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (247Sports) – The Missouri State Bears (6-5) fended off a late rally by the Lindenwood Lions (8-5) to secure a 70-65 victory at Great Southern Bank Arena on Tuesday. The win was highlighted by a game-high 19 points from Michael Osei-Bonsu, who returned to action after missing the previous three games.

Michael Osei-Bonsu led the charge for the Bears, scoring 19 points and providing a much-needed spark in his return from injury. He was joined in double figures by Keith Palek III (14 points, 8 rebounds) and Kobi Williams (12 points, 8 rebounds). For Lindenwood, Jadis Jones recorded 16 points, while Dontrez Williams and Anias Futrell added 15 and 15 rebounds, respectively.

Halftime Lead Effortlessly

Missouri State dominated the first half, opening up a 12-point advantage by the intermission. A late surge from the Lions cut the lead to four points early in the second half, but the Bears responded with a 21-13 scoring run to extend their lead to 12 with five minutes remaining.

Lindenwood’s Last-Ditch Effort

The Lions, however, were not done yet. They went on a 10-0 run to make it a one-point game with just over three minutes left. But the Bears showed resilience, ending the game on a 6-4 run to secure the victory. Kobi Williams nailed a crucial three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining to ice the game for Missouri State.

Rebounding & Paint Presence Key

The Bears outrebounded Lindenwood 44-41 and outscored them 40-26 in the paint. They also managed to score 17 second-chance points off 13 offensive rebounds.

Missouri State finished the game shooting 26-of-62 (.419) from the field, 6-of-27 (.222) from three, and 12-of-23 (.522) from the free-throw line with 11 assists.
Lindenwood shot 22-of-59 (.373) overall, 3-of-22 (.136) from downtown, and 18-of-31 (.581) from the charity stripe with 17 fast-break points and 6 blocks.

Up Next for the Bears

Missouri State will now travel to face the Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens on Dec. 29, with the game scheduled to tip-off at 1:00 p.m. CT. The Bears will then return home to host UTEP on Friday, Jan. 2, at 7:00 p.m.

Tickets & Promotions

Tickets for the UTEP game and the remainder of the home schedule can be purchased at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or by visiting the Athletics Box Office at Great Southern Bank Arena. A complete list of season promotions and ticket specials is available at MissouriStateBears.com/promotions.