SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – A Chase Walker basket with four seconds left in the game provided the final scoring in a 70-68 win over the Missouri State Bears on Saturday evening.
Dalton Banks scored a game-high 16 points while dishing out eight assists and grabbing two steals, while Johnny Kinziger scored 14 and Jordan Davis 13. Walker chipped in seven and five assists.
Davis' seven rebounds were the high mark on the team, while three players – Banks, Landon Wolf, and Cameron Barnes – had a blocked shot each.
The Redbirds stay on the road for a Tuesday night meeting with the Southern Illinois Salukis with a 7 p.m. tip-off inside the Banterra Center.
The first half saw seven tie scores and four lead changes, with the last lead change coming via a Kinziger lay-in and a Davis three-pointer, as the Birds took a 35-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
ISU came out guns blazing to start the second half, scoring the first eight points of the period to stretch the margin to 11, the highest of the game for either team. The hosts started chipping away at the deficit, using an 8-0 run to tie the score at 58, and Missouri State took their first lead of the half with 4:41 to play. The Bears also led by two with 3:22 to play in the game; however, ISU came back with a lay-up by Davis and another from Ty Pence to push ISU back ahead. Twice Missouri State tied the score, the last with 23 seconds to play in the game, before Walker took the ball to the block and after a pump fake, put the ball in the basket for the game-winning points.
The Birds were 27-of-52 from the field (51.9%) in the game, while making 9-of-28 long-range tries and 7-of-12 from the charity stripe. Missouri State was led to 42.3 percent shooting in the game (22-of-52), while making 7-of-20 from long range and 17-of-22 (77.3%) from the free throw line.
The Bears got 15 points from both Vincent Brady II and Chase Martin, while Dez White scored 12.
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