SPRINGFIELD– I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. For many teams, the college basketball season is a wild ride on a wicked roller coaster, and since Missouri State has only won three games in a row just once this season, the Bears have had a front row seat to that experience all winter.
So…with only three games left in the regular season, Dana Ford and the boys hoping to start another three-game winning streak with a victory against Northern Iowa on Saturday.

N.J Benson only played three minutes of this game, but made the most of his time on the floor with this and-1 play in the first half. Bears outscored the Panthers 13-8 on second chance points.

Speaking of chance, Chance Moore scored a team-high 17 his dunk with under 13 to go in the first half cut Mo-State’s deficit to 16-14.

Inside 7 minutes, Bowen Born, dude was a pest all game knocking down contested shots like this. Ties it at 26 all.

Final 2 minutes of the first, Moore rings the bell from the corner. He was only 3-9 from the outside but Bears led 38-33 at the break.

Second half, the 5’11 Born hits another tough jumper over 6’8 Donovan Clay. He finished with a game-high 21. Panthers trailed 51-50 with under 10 to go.

Inside 6 minutes, Moore takes the fee from Alston Mason. Bears ahead by 7 with 5:24 left in regulation, but went ice cold after that hitting only 1 other shot from the floor.

Meanwhile, Born giving any defender the business. Damien Mayo Jr. whistled for a foul, the layup ties the game and born makes the free throw to give the Panthers a 65-64 edge.

So with 6 seconds left, Bears need a three to tie and Mason’s shot, clanks off the back of the iron. Northern Iowa went 7-7 at the foul line in the final 2 minutes to steal victory from Missouri State, 69-66.

“There are some things that we probably should not have to go through at this time of the year,” Said Bears Head Coach Dana Ford. “But it depends. That was the first itme that some of those guys were in that position playing later in the year. Trying to play your best basketball this time of year and understanding what you gotta do off the court everyday. For that game in particular, I don’t think there was anything that we haven’t dealt with prior, that we could’ve learned from and been better today.”