The Standard

Issue date: 3/2/10 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Michael Gulledge

Missouri State players watched a desperate 30-foot shot fall through the hoop at the buzzer as Indiana State defeated them in overtime by a score of 75-72 Saturday.

It was an all too familiar scene for the Bears as they lost yet another close game on the road, capping a 1-8 performance in conference play away from JQH Arena.

Sophomore forward Kyle Weems hit a 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds left on the clock to tie the game at 72. However, that gave ISU's Harry Marshall enough time to run down the court and sink the game-winning shot.

The loss dropped the Bears to the seventh seed in the MVC Tournament this weekend.

Junior guard Adam Leonard led the way for the Bears with 20 points, including five 3-pointers. Junior guard Nafis Ricks gave the Bears a boost off the bench and ended the game with 16 points, nine rebounds and five assists.

Junior forward Jermaine Mallett added 11 points, six rebounds and two steals. Weems had nine points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.

The Bears out-rebounded ISU 48-37 but lost the turnover battle 12-7 as the Sycamores came away with nine steals.

Earlier in the week, the Bears defended their home court on senior night as Justin Fuehrmeyer played his final home game at Missouri State. The Bears came away with a 75-59 win over Drake, which gave them a 15-2 record at JQH Arena this season.

"I thought it was a special night for Justin Fuehrmeyer," coach Cuonzo Martin said. "He understands it's not about him. He is just that kind of guy. He wants to win ball games, and he brings a lot of energy. It was fun to win the game for him."

Fuehrmeyer said at his time at Missouri State, he has appreciated all the support he's gotten from the fans.

"For the years that I've been here, we've had the best fans," Fuehrmeyer said. "I thank them a lot for just making the games fun and supporting the team the way they do."

Leonard led the way for the Bears with 24 points, going 7-for-11 from beyond the arc.

He said his teammates did a good job recognizing that he was shooting well and continued to get him the ball.

"I was feeling it," Leonard said. "My teammates knew that. If it happens to Weems or anybody else, we find them too, and they did a really good job of doing that."

Weems posted a double-double, scoring 17 points and collecting 10 rebounds.

The Bears made 6-of-10 3-pointers in the second half and went 10-for-11 from the free throw line. They out-rebounded Drake 29-25 and had only nine turnovers compared to 12 for Drake.

Next up for the Bears is the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Scottrade Center in St. Louis. Missouri State received the No. 7 seed and will play No. 10 Evansville (9-20, 3-15) in the opening round on March 4. The Bears won both of the regular season meetings with the Purple Aces.

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