Missouri State University secured an 87-74 victory over Western Kentucky on Thursday, led by freshman Trey Williams Jr., who scored a career-high 22 points. The win marked the Bears’ 11th home victory of the season and ended a seven-game conference losing streak.
Other key contributors for Missouri State included Keith Palek III with 18 points, Michael Osei-Bonsu with 16, and Zaxton King adding 11 off the bench. The Bears shot 52 percent from the field and committed only seven turnovers in a game described as both physical and fast-paced.
Western Kentucky entered the matchup on a six-game winning streak but saw it snapped despite Teagan Moore’s team-high 23 points and Grant Newell’s 13. WKU held an early lead of 22-12 less than ten minutes into the contest before Missouri State rallied late in the first half to take control. A nine-to-two run put Missouri State ahead at 33-32 with just over four minutes left before halftime, and they maintained their lead for the remainder of the game.
Missouri State extended its five-point halftime advantage to twelve within three minutes of the second half, following three-pointers from Palek and Melakih Cunningham, along with a baseline jumper by Kobi Williams that brought the score to 52-40. Another surge increased their lead to thirteen after Michael Osei-Bonsu completed a traditional three-point play.
The Bears continued to build momentum as Trey Williams scored consecutive baskets, forcing another Western Kentucky timeout at the twelve-minute mark with Missouri State leading by fifteen. Their double-digit margin remained secure throughout, peaking at seventeen points after a three-pointer from King and another triple from Williams made it an 86-67 game with under four minutes remaining.
This performance represented Missouri State’s seventh time scoring at least eighty points in conference play this season. It was also only their third instance since Conference USA action began where they shot fifty percent or better from the field.
Overall, Missouri State finished shooting just over fifty-one percent (28-of-54) from the floor, nearly forty-eight percent (10-of-21) from beyond the arc, and seventy-two percent (21-for-29) at the free throw line. They tallied thirty-two points in the paint and twenty-one bench points—marking their third-highest reserve output during conference play.
Western Kentucky shot forty-three percent overall but struggled from long range (2-for-13). They narrowly out-rebounded Missouri State by two boards and scored thirty-eight points in the paint along with twenty-four bench points. The Hilltoppers came into Thursday averaging a league-best thirty-two-and-a-half bench points per game.
In overcoming an early ten-point deficit during the first half, Missouri State closed out on a strong note with Keith Palek contributing nine first-half points while Zaxton King added eight off the bench. The Bears used a fourteen-to-six run to transform a seven-point gap into their first lead of night; “Five free throws from Palek, a triple from King and four straight points from Osei-Bonsu gave the Bears their first lead of the night, and they never trailed again.”
With this win, Missouri State clinched its spot in next week’s Conference USA Tournament scheduled for March 10–14 in Huntsville, Alabama.
The regular season concludes Saturday afternoon when Missouri State hosts Middle Tennessee for senior day celebrations beginning at 2:00 p.m., which will also feature Future Bears Kids Club Day offering free admission for club members along with pregame and postgame activities.
Tickets are available through MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or via phone at (417) 836-7678 during regular box office hours at Great Southern Bank Arena. Additional information about promotions can be found at MissouriStateBears.com/promotions.
