Springfield Standard

Arkansas State secured a narrow 86-85 victory over Missouri State in Springfield on Tuesday, with the Red Wolves hitting two free throws in the final five seconds to complete a comeback.

Missouri State (2-1) was led by Michael Osei-Bonsu, who scored 21 points and collected 10 rebounds for his second double-double in three games. Zaxton King contributed 18 points, while freshman Trey Williams Jr. added 14. Darrion Sutton also had 10 rebounds for the Bears.

Chandler Jackson was the top scorer for Arkansas State (2-1), finishing with 33 points—26 of which came in the second half. T.J. Caldwell added 16 points for the Red Wolves.

The game featured only two ties and three lead changes, with Missouri State holding the lead for the first 33 minutes before Arkansas State rallied late. At the 6:16 mark, Missouri State’s Keith Palek III fouled out after contesting a three-point attempt by Royal Blue-Smith, who made two of three free throws to give Arkansas State its first lead at 72-71.

After Arkansas State extended its lead to five points, King responded for Missouri State with an elbow jumper and a fast-break layup to put the Bears back ahead at 80-79 with just over a minute remaining.

However, turnovers allowed Jackson to score on consecutive possessions, giving Arkansas State an 83-80 advantage with less than half a minute left. The closing seconds saw both teams at the free throw line repeatedly. Osei-Bonsu made two free throws to cut it to one point, but Jackson responded with another free throw for Arkansas State. Osei-Bonsu then split a pair at the line before Matt Hayman of Arkansas State converted two more foul shots to make it 86-83.

In the final moments, Blue-Smith committed an intentional foul on Osei-Bonsu, giving Missouri State two shots and possession with under three seconds left. Osei-Bonsu made one of two from the line and then drove for a layup that was waived off due to being awarded free throws instead of a potential three-point play opportunity; he again split his attempts. Logan Epes recovered the rebound from Osei-Bonsu’s miss but could not get off a shot as time expired.

Missouri State finished shooting 73 percent from the free throw line (27-of-37), while Arkansas State shot nearly 80 percent (23-of-29). The Bears were out-rebounded by their opponents, collecting 32 boards compared to Arkansas State’s 40.

Jackson went 10-for-11 from the field—including perfect marks from both three-point range and most of his free throws—in what was described as “a remarkable performance.”

In the first half, Missouri State shot over 54 percent from the field and capitalized on turnovers to build a double-digit halftime lead at 46-33. King led all scorers at halftime with Sutton grabbing seven rebounds off the bench during that stretch.

A strong start by Arkansas State in the second half closed Missouri State’s advantage quickly. Despite efforts by Palek and others to maintain their edge—including another run that pushed their lead into double digits—the Bears could not hold off Jackson and Arkansas State down the stretch.

Missouri State ended up shooting just under 47 percent overall (26-of-56) and struggled from long range (6-of-21). They forced turnovers but were ultimately outscored on second-chance opportunities as well as being out-rebounded.

The Bears will look to recover when they travel for their first road game of the season against UT Arlington this Saturday at 5 p.m., broadcast on ESPN+. Their next home game is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22 against UT Rio Grande Valley at Great Southern Bank Arena.

Tickets for upcoming home games are available through MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or at Great Southern Bank Arena’s Athletics Box Office during regular hours. A full list of season promotions can be found at MissouriStateBears.com/promotions.