UE returns home to face Valparaiso on Sunday
SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Four Missouri State players reached double figures to lift the Bears to a 71-54 victory over the University of Evansville men’s basketball team on Wednesday evening at JQH Arena.
Evansville had three players reach double figures with Tayshawn Comer leading the way with 17. Connor Turnbull recorded 13 points while Gabriel Pozzato had 12. Tanner Cuff led UE with seven boards and five assists.
Turnull’s putback got the Purple Aces on the board, tying the score at 2-2. Missouri State quickly countered with a triple on the other end and would extend the advantage over the remainder of the half. Inside of the 13-minute mark, the Bears capped a 14-5 start and would continue to hold a 9-point edge two minutes later.
Baskets from Turnbull and Comer cut the gap to five at 16-11, but MSU regained control, opening their first double figure lead of 23-13 at the 7:22 mark. Their lead reached 12 over the ensuing stretch before a triple by Pozzato was followed by a Comer free throw to get UE within seven.
In the final seconds of the period, the teams swapped triples as one by the Bears gave them their largest lead at 13 before Comer connected from downtown to make it a 36-26 game at halftime.
Following the break, SMS added to its lead, quickly extending the lead to 14 in the opening moments. A 6-for-8 start to the final stanza saw the lead grow to 19 points at 49-30 with 13:37 on the clock. Near the midway point of the half, UE cut into the deficit when a dunk from Pozzato got his squad with 14. The teams would swap triples resulting in a 55-41 Bears lead heading into the final nine minutes.
Tanner Cuff’s 3-point play got the Aces even closer as they cut the deficit to just 12. Missouri State would not let UE get any closer. Evansville did its best to remain within striking distance, staying within 16 points until the final two minutes when the Bears went back up by 18 and would take the game by a final of 71-54.
Michael Osei-Bonsu was the leading scorer for the Bears, posting 16 points and seven boards. MSU shot 51% on the night while holding the Aces to 43.1%. The Bears had a slight 31-30 edge on the glass.
UE is back inside the Ford Center on Sunday evening to face Valparaiso in a 7 p.m. contest.
