Box Score LITTLE ROCK - Anthony Downing scored 20 points off the bench and Caleb Patterson and Kyle Weems combined for 32 points to lead Missouri State (5-3) to a 68-60 victory over the UALR men's basketball team (3-7) on Saturday evening. The Bears shot 54.1 percent from the field and outscored the Trojans 22-to-9 at the free-throw line to snap a three-game losing streak.
"We are continuing to learn how to make winning plays and finish games. Our guys are giving good effort and playing as a team, but it's a process with so many new players, and you have to finish against a team as good as Missouri State," said UALR head coach Steve Shields. "We wanted to be able to get to the foul line tonight and we weren't able to do that. You have to give Missouri State credit though. Paul (Lusk) does a great job with his guys. They are a very well-coached, veteran team."
After falling behind by as many as 11 points on three occasions in the second half, the Trojans pulled within five, 56-51, following a pair of free throws by sophomore Chuck Guy with 3:52 left in the game. But Weems, the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Player of the Year, answered with a basket in the paint and delivered a three pointer moments later as the shot clock ran down to extend MSU's lead back to 10 points, 63-53, and secure the victory.
Missouri State outscored the Trojans by 13 points at the foul line in the game, as the Bears converted 22-of-28 free throws (78.6 percent) while the Trojans went 9-of-14 at the charity stripe. Downing led all players with 20 points behind a nearly perfect shooting night, as he went 4-for-5 from the field, 2-for-2 from three-point range and 10-for-10 at the foul line.
Patterson added 18 points off 6-of-9 shooting, followed by 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds from Weems. The trio of Downing, Patterson and Weems combined to shoot 68.2 percent from the field (15-of-22). MSU racked up 15 assists on its 20 made field goals, with senior point guard Michael Bizoukas dishing out nine assists against just one turnover.
Sophomore Will Neighbour led the Trojans with 15 points and eight rebounds, with 13 of his points coming in the first half. Guy chipped in 13 points in reserve off 5-of-7 shooting, while senior D'Andre Williams totaled nine points, five rebounds and six assists with zero turnovers. Junior Reggie Fondren went 3-for-3 from the field on his way to a season-high eight points.
Neighbour carried the Trojan offense at the start of the game, scoring 13 of the team's first 16 points to help UALR build a 16-9 lead with 10:21 left in the half. The 6-10 forward connected three times from three-point range over the first 10 minutes, helping UALR run out to a 13-4 lead out of the gate. Trailing by seven, the Bears rallied with a 10-0 run, with three pointers from Patterson and Downing, to go on top, 19-16 with 7:31 on the clock.
Patterson paced the Bears with 11 points in the first half and Downing added seven off the bench to help Missouri State take a 29-22 lead into the break. The Bears shot 55.6 percent from the field (10-of-18) and went 3-of-5 from three-point range over the first 20 minutes, while holding the Trojans to a .360 clip (9-of-25). Neighbour led all scorers with 13 points in the first half after making 5-of-7 from the floor and 3-of-5 three-point attempts. He and freshman Taggart Lockhart (three points) were the only UALR starters to score in the first half.
Patterson led MSU's charge at the start of the second half, scoring six of the team's first eight points out of the break to help the visitors extend their lead to double digits for the first time, 37-26, with 15:33 remaining. Down by 11, UALR scored seven-unanswered points to cut its deficit to four with 12:59 left in the game. After a bucket by senior Courtney Jackson, Williams scored on a layup and hit a three pointer in the corner to make it a 37-33 contest. Downing took over for Missouri State with the Bears holding a 46-39 advantage, scoring the team's next nine points to give MSU a 55-44 edge with 6:08 to go. UALR got within striking distance, 56-51, after two foul shots by Guy, but two clutch shots from Weems prevented a Trojan comeback.
UALR returns to action Monday night when it welcomes Oral Roberts to the Jack Stephens Center at 7 p.m.
