The Missouri State Bears went with the same lineup that has worked recently, one that included freshman guard Mustafa Lawrence and one that has produced in the paint.
Lawrence and cast went on to beat the University of Evansville Purple Aces, 72-55.
The game started with the young “spark” as teammate junior forward Obediah Church called him. Lawrence hit a three from the wing to put the Bears on the scoreboard first. Lawrence finished with 12 and scored nine of the Bears first 19.
The two teams traded scores early as the Purple Aces were highlighted by top scorer, redshirt junior guard Ryan Taylor, who looked to be on pace to peak during the game after averaging 28.