NORMAL, Ill— All felt well when Jarrid Rhodes hit a tying shot with 7.3 seconds left in regulation.
But when the junior forward that had been carrying the Bears all night fouled out with the second half, the hill was too steep to climb for Missouri State.
Missouri State (11-5, 2-1) fell to Illinois State (11-4, 3-0) 74-71 in overtime to give the Bears their first Missouri Valley Conference loss of the season.
“It was a great game,” Bears head coach Paul Lusk said. “We were right there, we had our opportunities.”
Rhodes led the Bears with 19 points, 13 of which came in the second half.