TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Sycamores worked their way back from a nine-point deficit early in the second half to tie the game on two occasions, but Missouri State was able to counter with a run of their own as they claimed a 72-57 Missouri Valley Conference victory on Wednesday night (Jan. 8) inside Hulman Center.

Indiana State fell to 9-6, 1-2 MVC while Missouri State improved to 7-9, 1-2 MVC. The Bears have now won each of the last six games in the series.

Tyreke Key led the Sycamore offense with 14 points as he hit a pair of 3-pointers and added three rebounds while Jordan Barnes tossed in 10 points and added five steals with four assists. Barnes now stands at 998 career points through 76 games played.

The Sycamores hit 22-of-53 shots from the field (41.5 percent) and added seven 3-pointers. Indiana State was credited with 15 assists in the game on 22 made baskets while the Bears won the battle of the boards by a 34-29 margin. The story of the game was turnovers as the Sycamores were guilty of 22 miscues which resulted in 29 Missouri State points while the Bears committed 14 turnovers and the Sycamores scored 14 points off them. 

The Bears led 37-28 at the break and things looked promising as Key hit lay-up on the first possession to get within nine points. Trailing 41-32, ISU went on a 5-0 run as Key hit a long jumper and Barnes added a trifecta in transition to get the deficit down to 41-37 with 18:03 to go. Jarred Dixon countered with a 3-pointer of his own and ISU would go on to score seven in a row, bolstered by another Barnes 3-pointer and then two Bronson Kessinger free throws at the 14:03 mark to knot the game at 44.



Ryan Kreklow hit a jumper in the paint but Barnes answered with one of his own as the game was once again tied 46-46. Missouri State would score the game's next nine points as a Tulio Da Silva lay-up with 10:13 remaining re-established a 55-46 advantage. Key stopped the momentum with jumper and then buried a 3-pointer with 9:15 to go after forcing a turnover and the Sycamores stared at a 55-51 deficit. Cook and Kessinger traded buckets as the Bears led 57-53. Cook would strike again with 4:31 remaining on a jumper to push the Bears lead out to 60-53.

Allante Holston drove the paint for a lay-up on the next possession to draw within 60-55 before the Bears scored the next six points and led 66-55 on a Webster charity toss with 1:06 to go. ISU got a fast break lay-up from Christian Williams -- who added nine points in the game -- with exactly one minute to go to make it 66-57 but the Bears scored the game's final six points for the 72-57 victory.

Indiana State used a Holston fast break bucket off the Barnes steal and then a Williams trifecta to race out to a 5-0 advantage. Emondre Rickman scored inside with 14:36 on the clock for a 12-6 advantage but ISU would go scoreless for nearly two minutes and didn't hit another field goal until the 11:48 mark to maintain a 16-13 advantage. Holston pushed Indiana State ahead 18-16 with 10:44 remaining but a 13-0 run by the Bears didn't end until the 5:37 mark when Williams scored in transition to trim the Bears lead down to 29-20.

Devin Thomas would connect on a 3-pointer with 2:10 remaining before the half but that would be it offensively for the Sycamores in the opening stanza as the Bears scored the final four points of the half and led 37-28 at the break.

Missouri State placed three scorers in double figures led by 21 from leading scorer Tulio Da Silva who hit 10-of-13 shots, made his only 3-pointer and added eight rebounds.

Indiana State now hits the road for its next two games beginning on Saturday, January 12 at in-state rival Evansville at 2:00 pm (ET). The game will air live world-wide on ESPN3.