ST. LOUIS — It became clear about six minutes into Missouri State's second game against Loyola that the Bears were headed toward their fourth-consecutive loss.
Loyola, the eventual Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion, held the Bears to six points using one of the best defenses in all of college basketball. By halftime, the Ramblers were up 16.
But in the second half, even when the Bears never brought the game closer than 14, third-year head coach Dana Ford noticed something about his team that gave him a good feeling about the remainder of the season.
"It's just their confidence," Ford said Thursday afternoon.