Missouri State will play its first game in 10 days when it travels to Northern Iowa in a Missouri Valley Conference tilt on Wednesday night. The Bears snapped a four-game losing streak with a 79-58 win over Central Michigan in their last game. Northern Iowa is riding a two-game winning streak after beating St. Bonaventure last Wednesday.
Missouri State opened the season with four wins in its first seven games, with its losses coming against BYU, UNC Wilmington and Ball State. The Bears were favored in their losses to UNC Wilmington and Ball State, but they bounced back with wins over Oakland and UIC. They proceeded to lose four straight games after that, with two of those victories coming as favorites. Missouri State only covered the spread once during that four-game skid, which came when it lost to Oral Roberts in an 80-77 final as an 8-point underdog earlier this month. The Bears bounced back from their four-game skid with a 79-58 win over Central Michigan 10 days go, covering the 12.5-point spread.
Basketball Bears Resume Valley Play at UNI https://t.co/lxmhwPPEkt
— Missouri State Basketball (@MSUBearsHoops) December 26, 2022
They were supposed to face Sam Houston State last Thursday, but that game was canceled, so this will be their first game since Dec. 18. Missouri State has not been shooting very well this season, ranked No. 204 of 363 teams in effective field goal percentage (49.4). The Bears are knocking down just 31.7% of their 3-pointers and are shooting 58.4% from the charity stripe. They are facing a Northern Iowa defense that is No. 224 in field goal percentage, but it has a high turnover rate and strong rebounding numbers. Sophomore guard Chance Moore is Missouri State’s only player in double figures, averaging 12.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Alston Mason is adding 8.3 points, while senior guard Donovan Clay is chipping in 7.6 points, 5.8 rebounds and 3.4 assists.