Missouri State had four players score in double figures and forced 19 Arkansas State turnovers to turn back the Red Wolves here Tuesday, 77-46 before a small drawing of 2,353 at the Convocation Center.

The Bears got 15 points off the bench from Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week Anthony Downing behind three three-pointers, while Caleb Patterson scored 14 and helped MSU to a 34-12 advantage in points in the paint.  Kyle Weems (10) and Michael Bizoukas were also in double figures for MSU (2-0).

After Arkansas State (0-2) cut into a 15-point halftime deficit with a 7-2 run to start the second half, the visitors responded with a 10-2 run of their own and never looked back. Bizoukas and Nathan Scheer hit key three-pointers during that stretch and helped the Bears push ahead 48-30 at the 13:11 mark.

MSU’s biggest lead of the night came on a last-second layup by walk-on Tomie Aromona to make the final margin of 31. MSU shot 44.8 percent from the field with seven three-pointers, while ASU shot shot 29.4 percent for the game.

MSU had three players with six rebounds, including Jarmar Gulley, Weems and Bizoukas. Bizoukas also had a game-high 5 assists.

A-State, the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt West Division, was led by Malcoln Kirkland with 14 points and Trey Finn with 13.

The Bears’ bench outscored the ASU reserves by a 31-6 margin and MSU out-rebounded the home club by a 41-36 margin.

Missouri State’s 36-21 halftime lead was paced by eight first-half points from Patterson and Bizoukas, while the Bears have out-rebounded the Red Wolves by a 25-18 margin.

The Bears, who never trailed in the contest, hopped out to a 12-5 lead in the first five minutes after a three-pointer by Bizoukas in transition.

Arkansas State climbed back within 20-16 at the 9:34 mark, the Bears responded with a 12-0 outburst over the next four minutes to regain a double-figure advantage, 32-16.

It was MSU’s ninth straight win in the series against the Red Wolves.

The Bears will play their 2011-12 home opener Saturday at 7:05 p.m. when they welcome Emporia State. MSU will recognize the 2010-11 MVC champions with a pregame ring and banner ceremony at JQH Arena.

— MSU Sports Information —

Missouri State junior guard Anthony Downing (Atchison, Kan.) was named Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Week, the league announced late Monday (Nov. 14) for his performance in the Bears’ season opener at Nevada.

Downing came off the bench to provide the Bears a needed second-half spark in their 22-point win last Friday at Nevada. He finished with 12 points, second only to teammate Caleb Patterson for game-high distinction. He was 5-for-10 shooting and 2-for-4 from three-point range. He also added 3 assists and 3 rebounds with no turnovers against the Wolf Pack and gave the Bears 27 minutes off the bench to make a solid impression in his Division I debut.

Downing is a transfer from Independence (Kan.) Community College. He is MSU’s first MVC Newcomer of the Week since Adam Leonard won the award on March 1, 2010. Leonard won the honor three times in 2009-10, while fellow junior Jermaine Mallett earned it once that season for the maroon and white.

He and the Bears are prepping for a 7:05 p.m. game at Arkansas State on Tuesday before their home opener this Saturday night at JQH Arena. Saturday’s game will be the Bears’ MVC Championship ring and banner ceremony before the 7:05 p.m. tipoff against Emporia State.

— MSU Sports Information —

Missouri State men’s basketball head coach Paul Lusk announced Wednesday (Nov. 9) the receipt of National Letters of Intent from three high school recruits at the onset of the early signing period which runs through Nov. 16.

Committing to the Bears are:

o    Bruce Marshall (C, 6-10, 205, Fr., Fayette, Mo., Fayette High)

o    Marcus Marshall (SG, 6-2, 180, Fr., St. Paul, Minn., Johnson High)

o    Gavin Thurman (PF, 6-7, 210, Fr., Wichita, Kan., Heights High)

“I feel like we have addressed some of the needs we anticipate for next year with some quality players who will be great additions to our program,” said Lusk who has four seniors on his 2011-12 roster.

Bruce Marshall is a rapidly-developing big man who entered high school at just 6-foot-1 and enters his senior season with the range of a shooting guard and inside skills of a solid 6-foot-10 post prospect.  He averaged 11.7 points, 8.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game as a junior for Coach Chris Kendrick’s Falcons who finished 19-6 a year ago.  He also notched 11.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game as an upstart sophomore on a 21-7 squad. He was a member of the Rameybasketball AAU club and selected Missouri State over fellow suitor Air Force.

“Bruce is very long and mobile and has the ability to stretch the defense with his face-up game,” Lusk explained. “He has a great shooting touch, and as he continues to grow into his frame, he will be a difficult match-up at the college level.”

Marcus Marshall (no relation to Bruce) averaged 16.0 points per game last winter for Coach Vern Simmons’ Governors at Johnson High in St. Paul, Minn. His team posted a 23-3 ledger last season. He is a three-star recruit, according to Rivals.com, is noted by ESPN as the No. 3 recruit in the state of Minnesota, and selected Missouri State over Green Bay, Kent State, Murray State, Indiana State and others.

“He comes from a good high school program that won the state title in Minnesota a couple years ago,” Lusk said. “He is good with the ball, distributes well and is a talented scorer. He has the ability to create his own shot and set people up. We are happy to have him.”

Gavin Thurman scored 18.5 points and collected 6.2 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 blocks per contest as a prep junior for Coach Carl Taylor at Southeast High School in Wichita his junior season. After leading the Golden Buffalo to a 13-9 season last year, he transferred to Heights High School for his senior campaign and is rated as a three-star recruit by both Rivals.com and ESPN. The AAU standout for KC Pump ‘N Run is rated as the No. 4 recruit in the state of Kansas and received scholarship offers from Nevada, Wichita State, Iowa, Fresno State, Colorado State, Western Kentucky and Drake.

“He has the ability to be like a point-forward,” Lusk noted of the highly-touted prep standout. “He can handle the ball, pass, drive to the basket, score in a variety of ways and make good decisions on the floor. He is a very versatile player.”

After the conclusion of the early signing period, the spring signing period for basketball runs April 11 to May 16, 2012.

Lusk and the Bears open the 2011-12 season this Friday at Nevada for a 9 p.m. tipoff.

— MSU Sports Information —

Missouri State (1-8, 1-5 MVFC) racked up a season-high 451 yards, but came up just short in a 43-36 double-overtime loss to visiting South Dakota State (3-6, 2-4) here Saturday in Missouri Valley Football Conference action.

The Jackrabbits spoiled the Bears’ homecoming with a two-yard touchdown run by Zach Zenner, who finished with a team-high 77 rushing yards, in the second overtime to secure the come-from-behind win. The Bears could not answer on their second overtime possession and turned the ball over on downs four plays later, three yards shy of the first-down marker at the 15.

The Bears had a chance to go ahead late in regulation as they marched to the SDSU 15 with less than two minutes to play. However, an Austin Witmer 32-yard field goal sailed wide right to end the 10-play scoring threat, and the Jackrabbits ran out the clock to settle for a chance in overtime with the game tied 29-29.

In the extra period, the Bears took command quickly, covering the 25 yards in just four plays to go ahead 36-29 on a one-yard run by Trevor Wooden.  South Dakota State retaliated on the very next play with a 25-yard strike from Austin Sumner to Dale Moss to knot the score at 36.

It took Sumner just four plays to put SDSU ahead for good in the second overtime.

Sumner finished 20-for-31 for 377 yards and four touchdowns, including two TD strikes to Moss who had seven catches for 178 yards. Aaron Rollin had a game-high eight receptions for SDSU for 163 yards.
Wooden led MSU’s charge with 338 yards of total offense, including a game-high and career-high 107 rushing yards on 24 carries. He also passes for 231 yards, going 22-for-31 with a career-best four touchdowns. He became the first MSU signal caller to throw for four scores since Cody Kirby on Oct. 6, 2007 against Illinois State.

Jermaine Saffold had seven receptions for 74 yards and became MSU’s career leader in receiving yardage. The senior from Grandview, Mo., now has 2,062 yards on 113 career catches.

Matt Thayer added three catches for 50 yards for MSU with a pair of touchdowns, while Chris Douglas tallied 76 rushing yards on 21 touches.

In regulation, the Bears led 14-9 at the half after Missouri State turned a key second-quarter turnover into seven points.  Trailing 7-3, the Jackrabbits fumbled on their own 29 with 38 seconds left in the opening quarter. On the very next play, Wooden connected with Matt Thayer from 27 yards out for a quick-strike, one-play scoring drive to put MSU up 14-3.

SDSU rallied with 5:23 left in the first half with a 90-yard scoring drive to make it 14-9.  A five-yard TD pass to Rollin from Sumner capped the nine-play drive. The Jackrabbits went for a two-point conversion, which failed on an incomplete pass from Sumner.

There were five touchdowns in the second half, but none more fatal than an 80-yard strike from Sumner to Moss with 6:20 left in the game. The Jackrabbits’ tying score came on the heels of a stellar, 11-play, 86-yard scoring drive the Bears that put them ahead 29-22 with 6:33 remaining. Wooden converted the two-point conversion pass to Cadarrius Dotson to pull the Bears ahead 29-22, and Witmer’s ensuing kick was downed for a touchback.  The next play Sumner found Moss wide open on the far sideline.

From there, the Bears rallied to the SDSU 15 in the final moments before the missed field goal by Witmer extended the game to extra time.

The Bears, who ran 86 plays, the most under Terry Allen, will host Indiana State in two weeks when the Sycamores invade Plaster Field on Nov. 12 at 1 p.m.

— MSU Sports Information —

The Missouri Valley Football Conference has named Missouri State quarterback Trevor Wooden (So., High Springs, Fla.) as its Offensive Player of the Week after the Bears’ starting signal caller led MSU to a 31-17 road victory over Western Illinois Saturday.

Wooden averaged 23.8 yards per completion and compiled 272 yards of total offense to orchestrate the Bears’ first win of the season. He scored MSU’s first touchdown of the night on a 14-yard run less than six minutes into the game to set the pace early and had completions of 57, 50 and 36 yards in the game to implement the MSU deep threat. He also posted a game-high and career-high 82 rushing yards on just 11 carries and averaged a team season-high 10.1 yards per play (27 plays for 272 yards).

Wooden ranks 15th among all Division I FCS quarterbacks in pass efficiency (154.42) and is 42nd in total offense (230.14). He ranks third in the MVFC in both categories. In seven starts in 2011, Wooden is 89-for-141 for 1,298 yards and 9 touchdowns in addition to 313 rushing yards and 4 ground touchdowns.

He is MSU’s first Valley Offensive Player of the Week since Jermaine Saffold claimed the honor for his efforts against Youngstown State on Oct. 2, 2010.

Wooden and Saffold lead the Bears into a homecoming clash with visiting South Dakota State this Saturday at 2 p.m. at Plaster Field.

— MSU Sports Information —

Four second-half take-aways propelled Missouri State (1-7, 1-4) to a 31-17 win over Western Illinois here Saturday in Missouri Valley Football Conference play. The win snapped an eight-game Hanson Field winning streak by the Leathernecks and secured MSU’s first win of 2011.

The final nail in the coffin came with 2:15 to play when senior Jimmie Strong halted a threatening WIU drive with a 91-yard interception return for a touchdown, the longest in Bears’ history. The pick six came on the heels of a 54-yard pass completion to Charles Chestnut that set the home club up at the MSU 9 for the potential game-tying score.

MSU closed out the game with a fumble recovery on WIU’s fourth turnover of the final period.

Trevor Wooden completed 8-of-16 passes for 190 yards for the Bears who won on the road for the first time in 13 tries and also posted a game-high 82 rushing yards. Jermaine Saffold caught four passes for 138 yards and a touchdown, coming just two yards shy of becoming MSU’s all-time receiving yards leader.

The Leathernecks got 269 passing yards by Josh Hudson who was 20-for-34 with a pair of interceptions. Terriun Crump had seven receptions for 67 yards to lead WIU, while Kevin Palermo posted a game-high 14 tackles.

With 7:56 to go in the third, the Bears extended their 14-10 halftime lead on a 19-yard field goal by Austin Witmer to overcome a pair of first-half misses by the sophomore. The score was set up by a 57-yard pass from Wooden to Saffold to the WIU two-yard line just three players earlier. The Bears could not punch it into the end zone, but settled for the chip-shot FG to go up by seven.

The lead didn’t last long as WIU got 33 yards on the ensuing kickoff to its own 38. Six plays later, Josh Hudson found Larry Patterson wide open on the far sideline for Patterson’s second catch of the season. He bolted to the end zone for his second score of the night to tie the game 17-17 after the Pat Smith PAT with 5:21 on the clock.

Feeling the opportunity for their first victory of the year, the Bears used the momentum of a 50-yard completion from Wooden to Saffold to set up the go-ahead score on the ensuing drive.  The key play was a third-and-two at the WIU 27 when Stephen Johnston took the hand off and completed a short pass to quarterback to Wooden who was tackled shy of the first down. However, Johnston was hit late, forcing a roughing the passer flag from the officials and a Bears’ first down. WIU’s bench protested the call and ultimately drew an unsportsmanlike conduct  flag to move the ball to the WIU 7.  The Bears’ third-and-goal play from the 10 was a pass intended for Ian Starnes in the end zone, but WIU was whistled for pass interference to set up another automatic first down at the two. Two plays later Johnston punched it in to put the Bears up 24-17 with 55 seconds left in the third.

The score held throughout the third with five combined punts and two WIU turnovers – an interception by Mike Crutcher and fumble recovery by Andrew Beisel – but neither team could threaten.  With 2:50 to go, Josh Hudson found Chestnut for 54 yards to the MSU 20.  On the next play, Hudson was picked off by Strong who returned it 91 yards for the exclamation mark score to put MSU up 31-17.

The game started with some fireworks as Western Illinois’ Larry Patterson returned the opening kick 90 yards to paydirt to give the Leathernecks an early 7-0 lead 12 seconds into the game.  However, the Bears retaliated quickly with a 74-yard scoring drive of their own. Trevor Wooden carried four times for 61 yards on the nine-play possession and capped the series with a 14-yard touchdown run to tie the contest, 7-7.

The Bears forced the Leathernecks to punt after three plays on their next possession and took over on the MSU 38.  MSU drove all the way to the WIU three-yard line before settling for a 21-yard field goal attempt by Austin Witmer, which missed wide left to keep the game knotted, 7-7.

On the first drive of the second quarter, Western followed suit by driving from their own 20 to the MSU 11 before a missed 34-yard field goal by Pat Smith maintained the tie.  The miss spoiled a 31-yard pass completion from Hudson to Justin Morgan early in the 17-play drive and negated a fourth-and-one conversion at the Bears’ 12 that put WIU on the doorstep of a go-ahead score.

Taking over on their own 20 with 10:12 left in the second, the Bears missed another scoring opportunity. A 36-yard completion from Wooden to Matt Thayer on the first play moved the ball to the WIU 44. The Bears continued the drive to the 36, but could not convert another first down. Witmer came on for a 42-yard field goal try and missed it wide left with 7:28 left in the opening half.

On the very next play, Hudson was sacked by Mikel Ruder, forcing the ball loose and recovered by Nate Davis at the Western 20-yard line.  MSU wasted little time taking the lead as Wooden hit Saffold in stride at the three-yard line, and he fell across the goal line for the score. Witmer’s PAT made it 14-7 Bears with 7:19 to play.

The teams exchanged punts from there, and WIU took over on its own 14 with 3:33 to play in the second. Fourteen plays later, the Leathernecks converted a 21-yard field goal as time expired when Smith split the uprights to cap the 82-yard drive and make it a 14-10 game at the intermission.

The Bears return to Plaster Field next Saturday to face South Dakota State at 2 p.m. on Homecoming.

— MSU Sports Information —

The Missouri State Bears surrendered two lost fumbles and a long kickoff return in the first five minutes of the third quarter to set up 17 North Dakota State points as the fourth-ranked Bison blew open a tight contest and rolled to a 51-21 Missouri Valley Football Conference victory over the Bears before 18,029 fans Saturday evening in Fargo, N.D.

NDSU’s Marcus Williams took the second-half kickoff 90 yards down the right sideline to score. After the ensuing kickoff, Missouri State fumbled on its own 17 on its first play from scrimmage to set up a short field for a Bison field goal. The Bears ‘ lost the handle on the return of the next kickoff and NDSU stacked on another TD after a drive of just 28 yards for a 41-14 bulge by the mid-point of the third period.

The Bears dented the nation’s top-ranked scoring defense for three touchdowns but had no answer for the Bison attack as NDSU scored six touchdowns and three field goals on its first nine possessions before the Bears stopped NDSU and forced the first Bison punt with four minutes left in the game. The win moved NDSU to 6-0 (3-0 MVFC) for the season while the Bears slipped to 0-7 (0-4 MVFC).

After the 3-0 defensive struggle the Bears won in Springfield in last year’s regular-season finale before NDSU went on to the 2010 NCAA FCS quarterfinals, Saturday’s game started like an offensive highlight film. The teams combined for five straight scoring possessions with four early lead changes in the game, but NDSU managed points on all four of its first half possessions for a 24-14 halftime advantage.
Bison sophomore quarterback Brock Jensen was unstoppable early, hitting a perfect 15-of-15 passing the first half to threaten the NCAA FCS record of 20 straight completions to start a game, a mark set by Austin Moherman of MSU in 2000 at Indiana State.
Jensen found senior wide receiver Warren Holloway six times for 109 yards in the first half as Holloway, among NDSU’s all-time top five in receptions and receiving yards, hauled in scoring aerials of 31 and 47 yards. Each score erased a Bears’ lead and RB D.J. McNorton rambled in from the 20 two minutes before halftime to push the Bison lead to 10.

For their part, the Bears had two impressive drives to grab the lead twice in the opening 30 minutes. Bears’ sophomore QB Trevor Wooden nailed WR Ian Starnes for 29 yards to cap an 84-yard drive that gave MSU a 7-3 edge. The Bears tallied on a 69-yard drive the next time they had the ball with Wooden finishing the job on a 19-yard throw to RB Chris Douglas at the start of the second period as MSU moved in front 14-10. The Bears moved 50 yards just before halftime and K Austin Witmer had the length on a bid for a career-best 47-yard field goal on the last play of the period but the kick was wide.

The Bears’ third TD came after NDSU’s explosion to start the third period as Wooden hooked up with Starnes twice in a 78-yard drive that Wooden capped with a one-yard scoring plunge with 2:22 left in the quarter. After the third field goal of the game by NDSU’s Ryan Jastram, another lost fumble by the Bears on their own nine set up the final Bison TD.

Jensen and Wooden put on an aerial duel as the Bison signal-caller hit 19-of-23 passes for 211 yards and three touchdowns while the Bears’ sophomore was 18-of-25 for 222 yards and two scores. Starnes finished as the Bears’ top receiver with five catches for 79 yards and his first MSU career TD. Tight end Matt Thayer had four receptions for 38 yards for MSU and RB Vernon Scott gained 66 yards on 18 carries to lead the ground game.

MSU became only the second team to top 10 points against North Dakota State this season. Only Big Ten Conference Minnesota scored more against NDSU in a 37-24 loss to the Bison in September. The Bears ‘ offense produced 363 yards in the contest while NDSU finished with 428 yards.

The Bears stay on the road next week for an MVFC contest at Western Illinois. Kickoff is set for 6:00 p.m. at Macomb’s Hansen Field.

— MSU Sports Information —

Missouri State senior Jermaine Saffold (Grandview, Mo.) was named Division I FCS National Wide Receiver of the Week by the College Football Performance Awards, the organization announced Monday (Oct. 10).

Saffold tallied the fourth-best single-game receiving effort in Missouri State history this week with five catches for 207 yards, two long touchdown plays and 270 all-purpose yards against visiting Illinois State.  He scored on the Bears’ first play from scrimmage, an 82-yard strike from Trevor Wooden, to give MSU an early lead. Later in the opening quarter, he scored from 91 yards out, the longest pass play in Plaster Field history and third-longest completion in program history.

He became just the sixth Missouri State receiver to collect 200 yards or more in a single game and the first since Steven Rush set a school record with 249 yards against Illinois State on Nov. 8, 2003. His two long touchdown catches rank third and seventh on the MSU list of longest passing plays and give him four TD grabs of 70 yards or more this season.

At the midway point in the 2011 campaign, Saffold has 21 receptions for 505 yards and six touchdowns. He has collected 99 career pass receptions for 1,813 yards and 14 scores, all of which rank in the program’s all-time top 10.  He currently ranks 21st nationally in receiving yards per game (84.2).

— MSU Sports Information —

Missouri State freshman guard Dorrian Williams (Oklahoma City, Okla.) will undergo surgery Friday to repair a torn labrum and is expected to miss the upcoming season, head coach Paul Lusk announced Monday (Oct. 3).

“It’s unfortunate that he’ll have to miss the season,” Lusk said. “He has been doing a great job in the preseason and learning our system. We’ll redshirt Dorrian this year, and he’ll be even stronger next season.”

According to MSU Athletic Medical and Rehabilitation Services, the typical recovery time from this type of surgery is 3-6 months.

The Oklahoma 4A all-state point guard from Douglass High helped coach Terry Long’s team to back-to-back state titles and a 54-4 combined record over the last two seasons.

— MSU Sports Information —

Missouri State basketball fans will have a chance to meet the 2011-12 Bears and Lady Bears during a special Twilight Tip-Off event at JQH Arena on Sunday, Oct. 16.

Both programs feature a host of new talent and new faces, including first-year head coach Paul Lusk who has seven new players on the men’s side, while Lady Bears’ head coach Nyla Milleson welcomes three newcomers to her program in her fifth season at MSU.   Both coaches helped plan the event and are excited to interact with Missouri State fans as the new season gets underway.

The fan-interactive event will begin at 7 p.m. with the Lady Bears taking the floor in style prior to their abbreviated intrasquad scrimmage.  Following the women’s scrimmage, there will be a three-point contest and a dunk contest that will require fan participation. Then, the Bears will be introduced and conduct their own instrasquad scrimmage. The night will conclude with autographs and a chance to meet this year’s MSU players and coaches.

Additional specials, give-aways and promotions for the night will be announced in the coming days. Fans are encouraged to check Facebook.com/MissouriStBears for special announcements and news related to the Twilight Tip-Off event.

In other basketball news, single-game tickets for all Bears’ and Lady Bears’ home games will go on sale starting Tuesday, October 11 at 10 a.m., at the Chevy Pickup Window located at JQH Arena or by phone at (417) 836-7678 and MissouriStateTix.com.

The Bears are coming off a 26-9 season in which they won the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title for the first time in the program’s history. MSU returns six lettermen and two starters, including 2011 MVC Player of the Year and AP All-America selection Kyle Weems.

The Lady Bears were 24-11 last season and finished second in both the MVC regular-season race and post-season tournament. Coach Milleson returns 10 letter winners, including four starters and 2010 MVC Player of the Year Casey Garrison who is a three-time All-MVC performer.

— MSU Sports Information —