Sam Houston held off a late surge from Missouri State to claim an 80-71 Conference USA victory Wednesday night at Great Southern Bank Arena.
After a Keith Palek III three-pointer brought the Bears within 65-64 with 5:36 remaining, the Bearkats outscored Missouri State 15-7 over the final stretch to secure the win. Jacob Walker led Sam Houston with 16 points, including 10 in the final seven minutes, while Veljko Illic added 14 points for the visitors.
Missouri State’s Michael Osei-Bonsu led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 8-of-14 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line. Palek added 17 points and seven rebounds, surpassing 1,500 career points. The Bears were without starting guard Kobi Williams, who is listed day-to-day with a shoulder injury.
Trailing 38-33 at halftime, Missouri State drew within one possession 14 times in the second half but could not take the lead. Darrion Sutton’s alley-oop dunk with 8:40 remaining energized the crowd, cutting the deficit to 59-56, but Sam Houston responded with a decisive 9-0 run to extend its lead.
Missouri State finished 27-of-56 (.482) from the field and 6-of-15 (.400) from three-point range, while Sam Houston shot 31-of-57 (.544) overall and outscored the Bears 50-40 in the paint.
The Bears return home Saturday to host Jacksonville State at 2 p.m. at Great Southern Bank Arena for a White Out promotion, encouraging fans to wear white BearWear.
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