MORGANTOWN, WVa–The NCAA basketball season tipped off Monday night and both the Missouri State mens and womens teams were in action.
On the mens side, Dana Ford started his sixth season at the Bears helm on the road at West Virginia.
The Bears facing the Big 12’s Mountaineers.
The Mountaineers have a new coach in Josh Eilert after Bob Huggins was fired after a DWI charge.
Mo State was hoping to ruin his debut.
The Bears played tough, midway through the first half, Chance Moore with the three ties the game at 15, he was just getting started.
Then at the end of the first half, Matthew Lee with the spin move on the block, and the jumper goes.
Dana Ford’s Bears owned a six point lead at halftime 30-24.
But West Virginia stormed out of the locker room, with five minutes left, Kobe Johnson drives the lane, and the Mountaineers were up by 11.
The Bears came back again, the ally-oop dunk by Tyler Bey and it’s 57-51 West Virginia.
Then with 41 seconds left, Chance Moore’s three makes it 61-59, Moore with a career high 24.
Seconds later he tried again, but the ball goes to the Mountaineers, the tip pass at mid court, to Josiaha Harris with the dunk, and West Virginia holds off the Bears 67-59.
