ST. LOUIS — Missouri State gave top seed Indiana State a battle for a half in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals on Friday, March 8 at Enterprise Center.
But the Bears were no match for the regular-season champions’ balanced scoring, precision passing and faster pace. The Sycamores pulled away for a 75-59 victory to put an end to Missouri State’s season.
The ninth-seeded seeded Bears (17-16) now head into the offseason with uncertainty ahead in terms of sixth-year head coach Dana Ford’s employment status. With one year remaining on his contract, Missouri State University officials have been non-committal about Ford’s future.
Missouri State University Athletic Director Kyle Moats told a Hauxeda photojournalist “no comment” a few minutes after the game, when asked about Ford’s status. An athletics department spokesman said Moats had left the building by the time the Bears’ media availability ended.
League member Southern Illinois reportedly fired men's basketball coach Bryan Mullins on Friday, a day after the 19-win Salukis were eliminated in an opening-round upset by Illinois-Chicago.
Dana Ford doesn't talk about his contract status
Ford, asked what he told his team after the season ended and if he had discussed his job situation with them, said no to the latter.
“I think for me, the discussion in the locker room started with appreciation for the guys who have exhausted their eligibility and how my heart hurts for those guys, Donny (Clay) and Dawson (Carper),” Ford said. “They’re really, really good guys.
“Just talking to the team about the ups and downs of the season and hopefully the things that they have learned where they can apply those things to the future.”
Asked how he would reflect on his time at Missouri State and what he’s most proud of, if this was his final game, Ford said it was all about the players.
“I would probably be the most proud of the young men who have come through the program, whether it be for one day or four years and how they developed into college graduates, high-character individuals that learned how to compete,” Ford said. “People that have experienced the ups and downs of what college is all about.
“I would just be proud of the guys that I’ve had the privilege and honor to coach. I think that is why we decide to do this. It’s about the guys.”
No late-game heroics this time
Missouri State’s hope of an historical tourney run ended as Indiana State turned a three-point game at the half into a runaway. Ryan Conwell scored 20 to lead the Sycamores (27-5).
Donovan Clay scored 18 points in his final college game to lead the Bears. Sophomore N.J. Benson added 12 points and 10 rebounds for his 10th double-double of the season and Alston Mason scored 12.
Benson and Mason talked in glowing terms about Ford and what he’s meant to them, on the court and off.
“Coach Ford has meant a lot to me. He’s been there for me through ups and downs,” Benson said. “He recruited me. I wasn’t really highly recruited. We’ve grown pretty close. He’s come to be like a father figure for me. All the work and effort we put in during the summer … he’s pushed me to be the player that I am today.”
Added Mason: “Throughout this whole season coach Ford has kept our heads level-headed and how to just push through and endure tough times, not only like this. He’s been there for me and all the guys.
“Besides a coach, he’s a great person off the court and that’s one of the most important things about him that a lot of people might not understand. He does a lot for our group and a lot for the community.”
The Bears are 106-82(89-67) in six seasons under Ford’s guidance. This season was marked by ups and downs, including losses in five of six league games in January, a four-game winning streak that followed and six defeats in seven games during a February stretch.
A close first half
Missouri State came to the Valley Tournament hoping to catch lightning in a bottle with four wins in four days. It started well enough, with a dominant 60-35 opening-round win over Murray State, a team that beat the Bears twice during the season by double-digit margins.
The Bears trailed 34-31 at halftime against the Sycamores to give themselves a reason to believe, after falling behind by a dozen with just under six minutes left in the half.
After Missouri State guard Damien Mayo Jr. had a knee injury that flared back up late in the first half, he was unavailable the rest of the way. Ford went with a bigger lineup and it was no match for Indiana State’s quickness.
Jayson Kent and Julian Larry buried 3-pointers on Indiana State’s opening possessions of the second half. The Bears answered with Mason’s 3-pointer and Cesare Edwards’ dunk. But the Sycamores kept rolling, scoring on five of their first seven possessions - three of those 3-pointers — and pushed the lead to 47-38 four minutes to force a Bears time out.
Clay completed a three-point play, but Larry answered with an Indiana State 3-pointer. Clay was called for an offensive foul before Robbie Avila’s layup gave the Sycamore another double-digit lead.
Missouri State fought back one more time, cutting the lead to six on Benson’s high-flying slam on a lob pass from Clay. But Robbie Avila’s layup on the other end gave Indiana State a 56-48 lead with 10:40 to go.
Trees stand tall among the Bears
Larry’s three-point play sent the lead to 13 with under eight minutes to go, leaving the Bears a large hill to climb. They were unable to mount another charge as the Sycamores poured it on.
Indiana State had 23 assists on its 28 field goals made. Avila scored 14, Ryan Swope had 13 and Jayson Kent 12 points and 14 rebounds. Larry had nine assists.
Indiana State made 10 of 30 pointers with six different players scoring from long range.
“Everyone can shoot,” Ford said of the Sycamores. “Today, Julian Larry as well as Kent made shots from three. When those two guys are making threes, they can really, really shoot it. And the big fella (Robbie Avila) is a really good passer. They definitely present a problem with so many guys who can dribble, pass and shoot.”
The Bears hung tough in the first half, with Benson leading the way. He had seven points, six rebounds, four assists and three blocks in the half while battling Avila in the post.
Indiana State coach Josh Schertz said Benson and the Bears’ interior physicality bothered his team in the first half.
“We told our guys this was going to be a street fight and it was,” Schertz said. “The second half, we played Indiana State basketball and Julian Larry did an outstanding job on Alston Mason.”
Whoa, it's a hollow feeling
Mason made only 4-of-14 shots from the field and missed four of his five 3-point attempts. The Bears shot only 30 percent in the second half.
Mason said the disappointment in seeing a season end is a hollow feeling. But he’s proud of the way the team competed through its ups and downs.
“”That’s one thing I feel like in life, if you’re always moving forward and always working hard and trying to take that next step, you’re doing something,” Mason said. “I’m proud of our team and proud of our group.
“Obviously we didn’t get the win or the expectation that we wanted, but we tried our best.”
