This story will be updated following postgame interviews with head coach Paul Lusk and select players.
On Thursday night at JQH Arena, a Missouri State Bears basketball team hungry for a 3-0 start in the Missouri Valley Conference battled a Northern Iowa team desperate for its first victory in league play.
The teams collided in a defensive slugfest — or offensive stalemate, if you will — as neither team reached double digits on the scoreboard until the 10-minute mark in the first half. As the game went on, the Bears (13-3, 3-0) pulled away from the Panthers (8-7, 0-3) for a 62-55 victory.