Springfield Standard

Missouri State University's men's basketball team defeated Maryville University 92-67 in an exhibition game on Friday. The Bears were led by Kobi Williams, who scored 30 points, including seven three-pointers out of 12 attempts. Williams, a transfer from Truman State, also shot 9-of-15 overall.

Other notable contributors for Missouri State included seniors Michael Osei-Bonsu and Logan Epes with 13 and 11 points respectively. Keith Palek III also scored 13 points. Both Palek and Osei-Bonsu collected six rebounds each, helping the Bears to a 52-38 advantage on the boards. Five other players added five rebounds apiece.

Ten of the twelve Missouri State players who saw playing time scored at least once, and all twelve grabbed at least one rebound during the contest. The Bears finished with a shooting percentage of .484 (31-of-64) from the field and made thirteen three-point shots out of thirty-three attempts (.394). They converted seventeen free throws out of twenty-seven tries (.630), while tallying twenty-three assists, twelve steals, and seven blocks.

Maryville's top scorer was Evan Palmquist with nineteen points. Henry Sanchez Perez contributed thirteen points for Maryville, making four consecutive three-pointers midway through the second half. Cam Liggins scored eight points and tied for the team lead in rebounds with five.

The first half saw Missouri State pull ahead to a 48-24 lead behind sixteen points from Kobi Williams. After an initial slow start, Williams opened scoring with a corner three-pointer—the first of his four threes in that half. A key moment came when Missouri State turned a seven-point margin into a twenty-three-point lead with a sixteen-point run.

Williams continued his strong performance into the second half, hitting three more triples early on as Missouri State extended its lead to its largest margin at 62-33 following the under-16 timeout. Maryville responded briefly but could not close the gap significantly.

In closing minutes, Trey Williams, Palek III, and Epes each hit three-pointers for Missouri State before Darrion Sutton finished with a dunk.

Defensively, Missouri State held Maryville to just over thirty-three percent shooting from the field (25-of-74), while limiting their opponents to eight threes out of twenty-eight attempts (.286). The Saints committed fifteen turnovers but managed nineteen offensive rebounds that resulted in thirteen second-chance points.

Missouri State will open its regular season on Tuesday against Missouri Southern at home. Tickets are available online at https://missouristatebears.com/tickets or can be purchased at Great Southern Bank Arena's box office during regular hours. Fans can also find details about season promotions and ticket specials at https://missouristatebears.com/promotions.