STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Missouri State has played some tough opponents so far this season and wasn’t able to pull out wins against teams such as Butler, Minnesota and Utah State.

On Saturday at Oklahoma State, it looked like the Bears might find a way to lose yet again, but Dequon Miller scored five of his 21 points in the final 20 seconds to help Missouri State avoid a massive second-half collapse and escape with a 64-63 victory.

Camyn Boone scored 17 points and added nine rebounds for Missouri State (2-5), which led 39-22 early in the second half.

“I’m most pleased for every one of our players in that locker room,” said Missouri State coach Paul Lusk. “In the second half, we knew it was going to get difficult. We were ready to break completely but we stuck with it and found a way to win the game.”

Jawun Evans and Jeff Newberry each scored 15 points to lead Oklahoma State (5-3), which lost its second straight. Evans, who scored all of his points in the second half, added five rebounds and seven assists.

The Cowboys rallied through the second half, using a 12-2 run to lead 49-48 on Newberry’s 10-foot jump shot with 6:14 to go.

The lead traded hands five times after that, with Oklahoma State going up 63-59 following two free throws from Newberry with 28 seconds remaining, before Miller’s late heroics.

Miller made it a one-point game with 17 seconds left after his free throw completed a 3-point play. Then, after Evans missed two free throws, Miller went the length of the court for a layup with 7.3 seconds left to put Missouri State ahead 64-63.

“I’m happy for him, because he’s really struggled to this point,” Lusk said of Miller, who came into the game averaging 8.7 points. “He’s a junior-college kid who’s making the transition. But we believe in him and happy that he did some good things out there.”

As for Evans’ failure in the clutch, Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford stood behind his freshman guard.

“He made some big shots in the second half, did a really good job,” Ford said. “He’ll get another opportunity at some point to make those, he’s a really good free-throw shooter. That’s life.”

Joe Burton, who played just four minutes, attempted a 3-pointer as time expired for Oklahoma State but it fell short.

“Their guys showed a lot of toughness, a lot of maturity, down the stretch,” Ford said. “It’s not easy to do, when you have a big lead and you lose the lead. They showed a lot of mental toughness.”

Trailing 32-20 at halftime, things got worse for Oklahoma State before they got better, as Missouri State opened the second half with a 7-2 run to build a 39-22 lead.

The Cowboys reeled off an 11-2 run to pull back to within 41-33 following Newberry’s fast-break dunk with 14:35 remaining. Oklahoma State continued to whittle away, making it 43-37 with 12:15 to go on Anthony Allen’s jump shot.

Missouri State led from the opening tip-off, building a 9-2 lead over the first seven minutes and holding to the Cowboys to 1-of-9 shooting. Oklahoma State put together a 9-2 run to pull to within 11-9, but Missouri State scored the next six points.

The Bears continued to increase their lead, closing on another 9-2 run to take a 32-20 lead into halftime — just the second time this season the Bears led at the break.

OSU missed its last seven shots in the first half, shooting 28.6 percent (8 of 28) from the floor.

—

TIP INS

Missouri State won the rebounding battle 41-31, marking the sixth time in seven contests that they matched or led in that category. Of those, 10 were offensive boards, giving the Bears 84 on the season.

Oklahoma State, which entered the game ranking fifth in the nation in blocked shots and seventh in blocks per game (6.7), recorded just two blocks.

MASH UNIT

With senior leader Phil Forte III already out indefinitely with an elbow injury, Oklahoma State lost Newberry to a head injury after he collided with teammate Tyree Griffin with 14 seconds remaining. Newberry stayed down for several minutes and was bleeding from his nose before leaving the court under his own power. Afterwards, he was being evaluated for a head injury.

QUOTE OF THE NIGHT

“They played really well. Give them credit, their team played well, made big plays and showed a lot of grit.” — Oklahoma State coach Travis Ford, who repeated a variation of this phrase at least six different times, doing his best Marshawn Lynch impression, during his postgame press conference.

UP NEXT

Missouri State faces IUPUI at home next Thursday.

Oklahoma State goes up against Minnesota next Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Jalen Moore scored 20 points, Shane Rector hit the game-winning free throws with three seconds left, and Utah State rallied to beat Missouri State 69-68 on Tuesday night as part of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge.

The Bears led 51-42 in the second half after Obediah Church’s dunk, but Utah State’s Quinn Taylor tied it at 67 with a jumper with 1:51 to play.

Rector scored 12 points and had a career-high six assists. Darius Perkins scored 12 on four 3-pointers for the Aggies (6-1), who shot 10 of 23 from behind the 3-point arc. Lew Evans grabbed 11 rebounds.

Missouri State led 13-7 after Dequon Miller’s 3, but the Aggies pulled ahead late and Perkins hit a 3 with 1:15 left to put Utah State up 32-31 at halftime.

Chris Kendrix scored 17 points for the Bears (1-6) and Church added 14.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Camyn Boone scored 16 points and grabbed eight rebounds as Missouri State picked up its first win of the season in its home opener, dispatching William Woods, 77-56 Friday.

The Bears built an 11-point lead on the NAIA school from nearby Fulton and cruised to their first win in five games to start the season. Missouri State is 33-1 in home openers since joining Division I for the 1982-83 season, and has won 13 straight.

Chris Kendrix scored 12 points for Missouri State while Dequon Miller and Jarred Dixon added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Bears shot 40.8 percent from the field (29 of 71) and converted just 4 of 20 attempts from beyond the arc.

Bryan DeGeare scored 15 points to lead the Owls, who converted 16 of 57 shots from the field (28.1 percent), including 7 of 30 from distance.

— Associated Press —

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Ben Howland finally got his wish for Mississippi State to play with a halftime lead. Now he wants the Bulldogs to do a better job protecting that margin when they’ve got it.

Gavin Ware scored 25 points to help Mississippi State beat Missouri State 84-70 in Sunday’s seventh-place game at the Puerto Rico Tipoff.

Freshman Malik Newman added 14 points to lead the Bulldogs (2-3), who salvaged a win out of the trip to San Juan by shooting 70 percent in the opening half and leading by 20 — an unusually fast start for a team that had trailed at half in each of its first four games.

They blew much of that lead as the Bears (0-4) twice got as close as four midway through the second half but kept control and eventually stretched the lead back out to double figures.

“We haven’t been up 18 at halftime yet,” said Howland, in his first year with the Bulldogs. “Hopefully we have that experience again some day when we can try to then put two halves together. This is a first.”

It hadn’t been an easy week for the Bulldogs, who lost to Southern at home on Monday then boarded a plane for Puerto Rico the next day. Once here, they watched Miami roll to 105 points in a blowout win in Thursday’s opener then missed two shots inside of 10 feet on the final play of Friday’s 74-72 loss to Texas Tech.

The Bulldogs finally played from in front Sunday, with Ware scoring 11 to lead a 19-for-27 shooting performance that had Mississippi State up 45-27 at the break. Ware finished 12 for 16 on the day, capping a strong three-game performance in the Tipoff.

Missouri State hadn’t had an easy time of it, either. Like Mississippi State, the Bears started with a blowout loss, theirs 93-59 to No. 22 Butler. Then they erased most of an 18-point before falling to Minnesota 74-69 in Friday’s consolation bracket, a performance that had coach Paul Lusk happy with his team’s fight but being quick to add, “no moral victories.”

He was left in the same position Sunday.

“We’ve got some kids that won’t quit, but we just have to improve,” Lusk said. “We dig ourselves some holes.”

—

TIP-INS

Missouri State: Chris Kendrix scored a team-high 17 on 6-for-7 shooting. … The Bears shot 54 percent after halftime after a 9-for-28 (32 percent) opening half. … Camyn Boone scored 13 despite playing through a left ankle injury.

Mississippi State: The Bulldogs cooled in the second half but still finished at 59 percent for the game. … Mississippi State scored 22 points off turnovers. … I.J. Ready had 13 points and 11 assists.

BUMPY START

The Bears are off to their worst start since going 0-6 to open the 1980-81 season.

ROLLING WARE

Ware averaged 20 points on 28-for-40 shooting (70 percent) over three Tipoff games. And Howland wants to keep feeding the 6-foot-9 senior the ball and getting him ready for extra defensive attention.

“When Gavin’s in the post and he’s 1-on-1, he pretty much scores every time,” Ready said. “I think most of the field goals he did miss, he probably had two or three defenders around him.”

TURNOVERS

Aside from the Bulldogs’ hot shooting, Lusk pointed to his team’s 11 first-half turnovers as reasons for the big deficit.

“When we don’t turn it over and we execute and share it and play the right way, good things happen,” he said. “But when you’re turning the ball over at that rate in the first half, it’s hard to get anything done.”

UP NEXT

Missouri State hosts William Woods on Friday.

Mississippi State hosts Tennessee-Martin on Saturday.

— Associated Press —

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Butler coach Chris Holtmann already knew his team could run and score at a pace most teams will struggle to match this season. He’s eager to see how the No. 22 Bulldogs respond when the offense doesn’t come so easily.

Kelan Martin scored 18 points and No. 22 Butler put on another offensive show to beat Missouri State 93-59 on Thursday in the first round of the Puerto Rico Tipoff.

Andrew Chrabascz also had 18 points, and the Bulldogs (2-0) flirted with cracking the 100-point mark for the second time to open the season. Butler scored a program-record 144 points last weekend in the opener against The Citadel, then rolled again by getting out in transition at full speed and sharing the ball against the Bears (0-2).

“It’s a really small sample size,” Holtmann said. “I would caution into reading too much into two games. I think we’ll know more at the end of this week.”

Maybe, but this much is inarguable: Butler has started the season in a full-speed sprint on offense.

Butler shot 60 percent and made 8 of 17 3-pointers, yet committed just eight turnovers in a clean offensive performance. The Bulldogs also had 23 assists on 33 baskets.

“Today we got out in transition and just started going,” point guard Tyler Lewis said. “And we have great playmakers on this team who can know to make the right play at a fast speed.”

The Bulldogs certainly got off to a fast start in San Juan and led by 24 points by halftime. They didn’t need a big day from preseason all-Big East picks Kellen Dunham and Roosevelt Jones, instead finishing with plenty of balance behind Martin and Chrabascz.

“They’re an offensive machine at this point,” Missouri State coach Paul Lusk said. “You’re not going to beat many people when you let them shoot 60 percent.”

Dequon Miller scored 15 points to lead the Bears, who fell to 6-35 against ranked opponents. They shot just 34 percent, including a 2-for-15 showing behind the arc, and couldn’t keep up once Butler got rolling.

—

TIP-INS

Butler: Dunham finished with 11 points on 4-for-4 shooting, and Jones had six points and 10 rebounds. … Butler had a 40-32 rebounding advantage. … Ten players scored for the Bulldogs.

Missouri State: Jarred Dixon scored 11 points in 23 minutes as the only player other than Miller to reach double figures. … Missouri State committed just 11 turnovers. … This is the Bears’ first trip to the Puerto Rico Tipoff.

TWO-GAME ROLL

Butler’s offense is shooting 62 percent through the first two games. The Bulldogs also have 50 assists against 19 turnovers, a ratio of 2.6-to-1 on the season.

LEWIS’ ARRIVAL

Lewis, a North Carolina State transfer, is seeing his first action with the Bulldogs after sitting out last season. He had nine points and 10 assists with no turnovers in 25 minutes after scoring 17 in the opener.

“He’s just a great floor general — knows when to pick up the pace, he knows when to slow it down, just always under control as you guys all see,” Chrabascz said. “It’s unbelievable to play with him on the court.”

EASY SCORES

While Butler’s offense had little trouble getting shots, Missouri State found itself struggling to convert. The Bears made just 8 of 26 shots (31 percent) in the first half and 17 of 30 free throws for the game.

“We are trying to manufacture baskets,” Lusk said, “and they’re coming down picking us apart, getting what they want.”

UP NEXT

Butler advanced to play Temple in the second round Friday.

Missouri State will play Minnesota in the consolation round Friday.

— Associated Press —

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State University Director of Athletics Kyle Moats announced today that a ceremonial jersey will be retired on Dec. 10 to honor legendary men’s basketball coach Bill Thomas.

The basketball Bears entertain IUPUI at 7:05 p.m., on Dec. 10 with Thomas’ jersey to be revealed during halftime ceremonies.

Thomas’ legacy on the Springfield campus shaped the landscape of Bears’ basketball for nearly three decades as a player, assistant coach and most notably as head coach of the Bears for three trips to the NCAA Division II championship game. He became the head coach of the Bears in 1964 when long-time coach Eddie Matthews passed away. Over the next 16 seasons, the Buffalo, Mo., native directed Missouri State to eight MIAA basketball titles, more than any other coach in league history.

The Bears won or tied for the conference championship five straight years from 1966 to 1970 and finished second in the NCAA Division II tournament in 1967, 1969 and 1974.

Thomas compiled a 16-year coaching mark of 265 wins and 158 losses, twice was honored as NABC District Coach of the Year and in 1974 was named the College Division National Coach of the Year by the NABC.

He was also a three-year starter at the guard position for the Bears after he came to the Springfield campus in 1950 as a transfer from Westminster College. The 1951 Bears were the MIAA conference runners-up and went on to win league titles the next two seasons. Both of those Bears clubs went through district NAIA playoffs and a grueling five-game endurance test to win back-to-back NAIA national championships in 1952 and 1953.

Thomas was a two-time all-conference selection and gained NAIA All-America honors in 1953.

He later returned to Missouri State as an assistant coach in 1956 under Matthews and was on the coaching staff in 1959 when the Bears finished as an NCAA Division II national runner-up.

Thomas will be the sixth men’s basketball representative to have a jersey retired in his honor at Missouri State, joining fellow coach Charlie Spoonhour, whose jersey was retired posthumously in 2014. Former players Winston Garland (1985-87), Daryel Garrison (1971-75), Jerry Anderson (1951-55) and Curtis Perry (1966-70) have also had their respective jerseys retired by the University.

— MSU Athletics —

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – Youngstown State scored on its first six offensive possessions and rolled up more than 400 yards in the opening half to pull away for a 47-7 victory over Missouri State Saturday afternoon at Stambaugh Stadium.

YSU finished the day with 644 yards of total offense, including 338 rushing yards and 306 through the air, and moved the chains for 29 first downs to just five for the Bears. The Penguins’ dual threat ground game featured 100-yard games from Jody Webb (12 carries for 107 yards) and Martin Ruiz (18 carries for 100 yards), while Hunter Wells completed 15-of-25 passes for 241 yards and three touchdowns.

The No. 21 Penguins (5-4, 3-3 MVFC), who racked up 222 yards of offense over the first 15 minutes of action, used two of Wells’s touchdown passes and a consistent ground attack to build a 24-0 first-quarter lead. While YSU’s early offensive attack yielded positive results for the home club, the Penguins defense was equally as dominant, limiting the Bears to 11 yards of total offense in the first quarter.

After a 34-yard Ruiz run set up a Zak Kennedy 20-yard field goal to open the scoring, Wells connected with Andrew Williams on the first of two scoring pass plays for the duo in the opening half, capping an eight-play, 63-yard drive to put the home club on top, 10-0. Webb’s 27-yard rush–one of four YSU runs of 16 yards or more in the opening period–highlighted the drive.

A David Rivers interception on the Bears’ next play from scrimmage put the Penguins on the offensive again, as YSU engineered another scoring march with the help of two critical MSU penalties that kept the drive alive. On first down at the MSU 27, Vashon Landers picked off a Wells pass in the end zone, only to see the turnover wiped away by one of three offsides penalties on the Bears defense in the first half. Then, on third-and-10 at the MSU 15, Wells fired incomplete to seemingly halt the drive, but yet another offsides call gave the Penguins another chance, which Wells cashed in with a 10-yard TD pass to Andre Stubbs.

Next, Webb’s 62-yard bolt to open YSU’s fourth offensive possession set up another quick strike for the Penguins. Yet another MSU offsides penalty on third down in the red zone aided the Penguins cause, as Ruiz ran it in from three yards out to stretch the margin to 24 points.

MSU moved the chains for the first time on its initial drive of the second period, using a 17-yard Lambert-to-Deion Holliman pass to spark the offense. The Bears’ junior quarterback also hit Malik Earl and Holliman again for gains of seven and 10 yards, respectively, before the YSU defense stopped the drive.

Wells kept the Penguins offensive momentum burning, firing a strike to Williams over the middle before the senior receiver broke away from a Bears defender and streaked to the end zone for a 72-yard scoring play.

YSU regained the ball on the first play of the ensuing drive, as Jaylin Kelly intercepted Lambert at the Penguins 48. Wells moved the ball to the MSU 15 with a 21-yard completion to Darien Townsend, before Ricky Davis carried it in from a yard out for a 38-0 margin with 6:05 remaining in the opening half.

Missouri State’s defense found itself on the short end of a wide time of possession disparity, as YSU ran off 29 offensive plays to the Bears eight in the first period. The Bears defense did come up with a key takeaway to set up MSU’s lone touchdown of the day, as Tre Betts stepped in front of a Wells pass and returned it 44 yards to the YSU 21 late in the first half.

Lambert found a wide-open Zac Hoover in the end zone for a 20-yard scoring pass to put the Bears on the scoreboard with just 42 seconds left in the half.

YSU kept the pressure on in the third period, adding to its lead courtesy of a five-yard run by Webb and a 43-yard field goal from Kennedy which made it a 40-point margin.

MSU was limited to 107 total yards on only 40 offensive plays and faltered on third down, converting just one of its 10 attempts in the game. On the flip side, YSU was virtually unstoppable on third down, cashing in on 13-of-17 tries.

Holliman accounted for a game-high 178 all-purpose yards for the Bears, topping the 100-yard mark for kickoff returns for the fifth time this season. The sophomore also reeled in a team-best three receptions for 28 yards.

Defensively, Dylan Cole led the Bears in tackling for the ninth straight game with a game-high 12 stops, including two for losses.

The Bears (1-8, 0-6 MVFC) return to Springfield for their final home contest of the season next Saturday (Nov. 14), when the host UNI in a 2 p.m. game at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.

— MSU Athletics —

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State head football coach Dave “Stec” Steckel will miss the Bears’ game at Youngstown State this Saturday after undergoing emergency eye surgery on Thursday morning in Springfield.

Stec is expected to recover from the retina procedure in time for MSU’s Nov. 14 home finale against Northern Iowa at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.

Offensive coordinator Mario Verduzco and defensive coordinator Marcus Yokeley will assume interim head coaching duties for Saturday’s 1 p.m. (Central) game in Youngstown. Verduzco and Yokeley will also handle all scheduled media opportunities until Steckel’s return.

— MSU Athletics —

ST. LOUIS – For the third straight season, Wichita State has been selected as the men’s basketball preseason favorite to win the Missouri Valley Conference, the league announced Tuesday as part of its annual media day festivities here.

The two-time defending MVC champions earned 42 of 43 possible first-place votes and 429 total points in the poll, as determined by league coaches, broadcasters, beat writers and communications personnel. Evansville collected 350 points to earn the No. 2 spot, followed by Northern Iowa with 336, Illinois State with 323 and Loyola with 267. Loyola received the only other first-place vote.

The second five in the poll include Indiana State in the No. 6 spot with 218 points, followed by Drake (165), Missouri State (127), Southern Illinois (101) and Bradley (49).

Paul Lusk’s Bears return five starters from last season, but have a solid crop of five newcomers that the fifth-year head coach says will make the upcoming season a fun one for his staff and for Missouri State fans.

“The league poll doesn’t matter at this point,” Lusk said. “We were picked third last year, and Loyola was picked 10th, so you never know how it’s going to play out. I do know that this (MSU team) is going to be a good group, and they’re going to work very hard.”

In addition to returning senior starters Dorrian Williams, Camyn Boone and Loomis Gerring, the Bears also bring back sophomore Chris Kendrix and junior Austin Ruder. Kendrix and Ruder combined to lead MSU in scoring each of the last five games of the 2014-15 season, in which MSU went 2-2 to close out the regular season.

Missouri State opens the 2015-16 season on Saturday, Nov. 7 against William Jewell in a 2 p.m. exhibition game at JQH Arena. The regular-season opener for the Bears is Nov. 13 at Oral Roberts. Season ticket information is available by calling (417) 836-8899, while single-game tickets are on sale by calling (417) 836-7678 during regular box office hours. Ticket details are also available by visiting MissouriStateBears.com/tickets.

The MVC preseason all-conference team was also announced Tuesday with Wichita State’s Fred VanVleet, the preseason player of the year, joining teammate Ron Baker on the five-person team along with the Evansville tandem of D.J. Balentine and Egidijus Mockevicius and Illinois State senior DeVaughn Akoon-Purcell.

— MSU Athletics —

JONESBORO, Ark. – Despite a promising showing by the Missouri State offense that saw the Bears total 341 yards, Arkansas State used a series of big plays to build a 42-point halftime lead en route to a 70-7 victory Saturday evening before an announced crowd of 26,634 at Centennial Bank Stadium.

After tallying just 26 total points in its first two contests of the 2015 season, ASU (1-2) scored 28 points in less than 16 minutes of play Saturday to pave the way to its first victory of the season. The Red Wolves logged five different scoring plays of 26 yards or more in the first half, then tacked on three more touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the second half to seal the outcome.

A-State racked up 624 total yards in the game, including 344 on the ground. Quarterback James Tabary connected with 11 different receivers in completing 21-of-24 passes for 255 yards and three touchdowns in three quarters of play, while four ASU running backs combined for 320 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

The Bears (1-2) generated a significant offensive push of their own, despite finding the end zone on just one occasion. MSU rushed for 179 yards, getting a career-high 77 yards on eight carries from Jason Randall, while quarterback Brodie Lambert finished his night with 162 yards on 16-of-32 passing.

Ryan Heaston, who rushed for 67 yards on eight carries to complement Randall’s performance, broke up the Red Wolves’ shutout bid with a 35-yard scoring run that completed a 75-yard scoring drive for MSU. Heaston carried the ball five times for 55 yards during the drive, including a 13-yard run that set up his burst through the right side that put the Bears on the scoreboard for the first time late in the third period.

Missouri State won the time of possession battle and was flagged just two times on the night, but ASU limited the Bears to 3-of-14 third-down conversions and turned three MSU turnovers into 21 points.

Arkansas State wasted little time in setting the tone for the evening, using a 19-yard scoring pass from Tabary to tight end Darion Griswold on its third play from scrimmage to take an early seven-point lead. The Red Wolves defense forced a three-and-out on the Bears’ opening possession of the game, and Chris Murray returned a Chris Sullens punt 34 yards to the MSU 28, before Tabary connected on three consecutive pass attempts to put ASU on top just two-and-a-half minutes into the contest.

The Missouri State defense held firm on A-State’s second possession of the night to force a punt, and the Bears offense appeared poised for a promising drive after moving the chains with a pair of Heaston rushes for 11 yards and a nine-yard Lambert completion to Eric Christophel. But Khari Lane snatched a deflected pass out of the air and returned the interception 44 yards to pay dirt, stretching the ASU lead to 14-0.

ASU hammered out an 11-play, 65-yard drive late in the opening period to extend the margin further. Tabary completed all four of his pass attempts for 22 yards on the drive, while Michael Gordon accounted for 40 rushing yards — the last 26 of which capped the scoring drive and made it a three-possession game.

Tabary connected with J.D. McKissic (14 yards) and Warren Leapheart (20 yards) on back-to-back plays to set up another Red Wolves touchdown early in the second quarter. Warren Wand completed the drive with another 26-yard scoring scamper to hand ASU a 28-point lead just 58 seconds into the period.

Tabary, who completed 15-of-18 first-half passes for 174 yards, connected with McKissic on a 49-yard touchdown toss later in the second as part of a 92-yard scoring drive. Johnston White scored the first of his three touchdowns with a 56-yard run to complete the first-half scoring for ASU, which rolled up 353 yards of total offense and averaged 9.1 yards per play in the first 30 minutes of action.

MSU kicked its offense into gear in the second quarter as well, racking up 153 yards of offense in the period and 201 for the half. Lambert hooked up with Eric Christophel for a 46-yard completion midway through the second to give the Bears their best scoring opportunity of the half. But the Red Wolves thwarted the threat, forcing a 39-yard Shelby Harris field goal try, which was wide to the left.

Lambert was successful of 13-of-23 attempts for 158 yards, and Erik Furmanek hauled in four receptions to pace the Bears’ attack in the opening half.

Dylan Cole led the Bears in tackles for the third consecutive game, finishing with a game-high 11 stops, including 1.5 for losses. Redshirt freshman safety Tre Betts turned in a career-high nine tackles, six of which were solo stops for the Bears.

Following a break in the schedule next weekend, the Bears return to action Oct. 3, when they open the Missouri Valley Football Conference season with a 2 p.m. game against Indiana State at Robert W. Plaster Stadium.

— MSU Athletics —