Barely three minutes into Missouri State’s basketball home opener, a collective hush fell over the smallish crowd in Great Southern Bank Arena that had worked up some enthusiasm after a fast-paced start.
Chance Moore landed awkwardly on an Oral Roberts player’s foot, sending Moore to the hardwood and eventually to the Missouri State locker room. The lanky 6-foot-6 junior did not return to action, diagnosed with a Grade-I left ankle sprain.
Afterward, Bears’ coach Dana Ford said Moore’s status is day-to-day headed into a three-game tournament this weekend in the U.S. Virgin Islands. The way his team responded to Moore’s sudden departure made the potentially scary scenario one Ford could smile about.
“It was a total team effort,” Ford said after the Bears’ 84-69 victory in front of an announced 3,248 fans. “We executed offensively, we executed defensively and our conversion game was good.
“I thought we played a complete (first) half. When something was working, we stuck with it. When something wasn’t working, we adjusted.”
A lot of Alston Mason and Donovan Clay was working. Mason, hitting 10 of 15 shots including five of seven 3-pointers, had career highs of 28 points and nine rebounds. Clay bounced back from a subpar season opener to get 17 points and six rebounds.
Clay left the game limping in the late going, throwing another potential wet blanket over the victory to go with Moore’s injury, Ford said it was a simple case of cramps and Clay is fine.
“To see (Moore) go down sucks, but we all knew that we had to finish the job and step up, fill in that role of scoring,” Mason said. “That’s what my approach was, to stay aggressive and do what we had to do to get the win and that was to stay aggressive.”
The bench did its part as well. N.J. Benson had a career-best 11 points as Missouri State’s subs outscored the ORU reserves 27-10.
Benson gave the Bears a lift off the bench after starting the opener. The 6-8 sophomore went 3-for-3 in the first half, with each basket coming as the Bears stretched a 12-11 lead into double digits.
Raphe Ayres also sparked the Bears with five first-half rebounds and a 3-pointer 35 seconds before halftime for a 39-27 lead at the break. In the second half, Ayres brought a roar from the fans with a 3-pointer — after a wild sequence of missing shots and passes — to give the Bears a 47-31 command.
Clay worked the post for a three-point play, sending the lead to 50-33 at the 13-minute mark. ORU then took advantage of back-to-back sloppy possessions by the Bears for transition buckets, bringing Ford off the bench to take a time out.
Cesare Edwards’ 3-pointer and Benson’s dunk halted the mini-run and sent momentum back Missouri State’s way. A couple of minutes later, Mason scored seven in a row and the lead was 66-44 to effectively land the knockout.
“We felt like we didn’t execute against West Virginia,” Ayres said of an eight-point loss on the road after Missouri State led by six at the half. “It wasn’t the best version of our team. That’s what we focused on during this week of practice and this was a testament for our hard work.
“One of the things we keyed on was getting paint touches on offense. Whether that be hitting the post or dribble penetration and kicking out, making plays for other people. Little things that we can do more consistently that can make all the difference.”
Ford said the production hinted at how the Bears can be a deep team, if they keep developing the necessary habits.
“It started with Raphe, He was great,” Ford said of Ayres’ seven points and seven rebounds in 22 minutes. “N.J. was really good. Cesare (Edwards) gave us some quality minutes. Our bench really picked us up and played a nice game, in general. It was very productive. Guys tried to play to their strengths and when we do that, we have a deep team.”
Missouri State shot a respectable 47.6 percent from the field. Matthew Lee, back from missing all but two games last season with a knee injury, had nine assists and four turnovers.
“This year’s team is off to a good start in regards to its chemistry,” Ford said. “A lot of that is because of Matt Lee. Tonight he had nine assists and four turnovers, the other game he had seven and one. If he gets you eight, nine, 10 a game that is going to help.”
Ford went with a smaller starting lineup, with three guards plus Clay and Moore. That allowed the 6-foot-8 Clay to get more touches in the post, where he could attack the basket or find shots for others unlike in the season opener when he was not an offensive factor.
Clay had 12 points by halftime as Missouri State built a 39-27 lead despite playing the final 16:51 without Moore.
“We decided to go with this small-ball lineup and that puts Donny out there as a point forward and we can really create for one another,” Ford said. “Really good decision makers and good passers. I was pleased with our chemistry but also our defensive chemistry.”
The Golden Eagles (1-2) shot only 39 percent overall and missed 20 of 25 three-point attempts.
“Tonight, we made some mistakes but they weren’t the same mistakes,” Ford said. “There’s a lot to build off of today.”
Paradise Jam tipoff at 7 p.m. Nov. 17
Next for the Bears is the Paradise Jam in the U.S. Virgin Islands where they face Florida Gulf Coast at 7 p.m. (CST) on Nov. 17.
“We’re looking at it as a business trip,” Ayres said, noting the memories of a 1-2 trip to the tropics a year ago that spoiled the warm breezes and scenery. “I think we learned from our experience last year in the Bahamas that you have to have a focused mindset going into games when you’re in nice places like that.
“Our group is a lot more mature than it was last year. It’ll just be the same version of us there as you saw tonight.”
Bears sign recruit from Memphis
Missouri State announced on Monday that high school senior Julius “King” Thedford, a senior from Cordova High School in Memphis, has signed a letter-of-intent with the Bears for the 2024-25 season.
Bedford, a 6-foot-4, 198-pound guard, is rated by 247Sports as a three-star player and as the No. 6 prospect in the 2024 class from Tennessee. HoopSeen.com charts Thedford as the No. 4 player in Tennessee in this year's senior class.
“We are extremely excited to add ‘King' to our program,” Ford said in a news release. “He is a relentless competitor who impacts winning on a high level. He has toughness, a strong skill set, and knowledge to help contribute from day one.”
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