ST. LOUIS  – Indiana State struggled to get on track offensively as Missouri State earned a 78-51 victory over the Sycamores in the last State Farm Missouri Valley Conference quarterfinal matchup on a wild day at the Enterprise Center.
 
ISU fell to 18-12 while Missouri State improved to 16-16 and will face off against Valparaiso in the second Arch Madness Semifinal on Saturday, March 7.
 
Paced by 14 points each from senior Jordan Barnes as well as freshman Jake LaRavia, the Sycamores connected on 19-of-56 shots from the field (33.9 percent) as well as 6-of-25 from long range (24 percent). Barnes hit one 3-pointer to give him 272 made for his career which is second-best all-time at ISU and seventh-best in the history of the MVC. LaRavia was 6-of-8 from the field, with a pair of 3-pointers and led the way with eight rebounds. Barnes added four steals for the Sycamores.
 
Missouri State hit 31-of-62 shots (50 percent) from the field and held a 45-26 edge in rebounding. The Bears outscored the Sycamores 40-22 in the paint and forced 16 Sycamore turnovers which led to 21 points.
 
Junior Tyreke Key also reached double figures scoring with 10 points as he hit a pair of 3-pointers in the contest.
 
LaRavia scored inside on the first offensive possession of the game and his 3-pointer with 16:18 on the clock gave the Sycamores a 5-2 edge. The Sycamores enjoyed a 7-0 run which transformed a 9-5 deficit into a 12-9 lead with 11:45 remaining on a Cooper Neese trifecta. Missouri State took a five-point lead at 19-14 before Key drained a 3-pointer at the 7:14 mark to get within 19-17.
 
Lamont West hit a long jumper with 1:43 remaining to stretch the Bears lead out to 31-20 and would eventually go ahead by 12 points on a Ross Owens 3-pointer with 25 seconds to go. Christian Williams drove the lane to score at the buzzer and the Sycamores trailed 34-24 at the break.
 
Missouri State took control early in the second half by scoring nine of the first 13 points after halftime to take a 43-28 advantage with 17:22 on the clock. The Sycamores used a prolonged 8-0 run which was capped by LaRavia's second 3-pointer of the game with 12 minutes to go which cut the Bears lead down to 49-40.
 
After Tre Williams scored inside with 9:51 to go, the Bears scored 11 in a row to stretch their lead out to 64-42 with 6:46 remaining. Key hit a long jumper on the next possession to kick start a run of four points in a row. The Bears finished the game on a 7-0 run for the 78-51 victory.
 
Five Bears reached double figures scoring, paced by 17 points by Gaige Prim.