Brady Shines with 19 as Bears Face Heartbreaking Finish Against Valpo

SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State accomplished 13 successive field goals during a crucial period in the latter half but ultimately fell short in the final moments here Wednesday in a heartbreaking 73-72 New Year’s Day defeat against the visiting Valparaiso.

Vincent Brady II led MoState (7-7, 0-3 MVC) with 19 points on 8-of-9 field goals and 3 steals, while Michael Osei-Bonsu contributed 15 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Bears also received 13 points from Dez White, who netted three 3-pointers, marking the 100th of his career.

Valparaiso (8-6, 1-2 MVC) saw four players reach double digits, highlighted by a game-high 22 points from Cooper Schwieger, while Tyler Schmidt and All Wright each scored 14.

After trailing 46-38 following a 7-0 Beacons run with 15:54 remaining, the Bears started to chip away, relying on Brady and Osei-Bonsu to initiate a run of 13 consecutive successful shots over the next 11 minutes and 32 seconds.

Makhai Valentine also got in on the action, scoring eight straight points for MSU, including a couple of 3-pointers, the latter of which made it a 61-55 game with under 10 minutes remaining.

Valpo held onto the lead with its own accurate shooting, through making 8-of-12 during MSU’s comeback attempt while taking advantage of 10-of-13 free throw opportunities in the second half.

With 2:12 to play, Brady’s only 3-pointer of the evening brought the Bears within 73-71, concluding an impressive 14-for-15 shooting streak by the Bears that lasted over 13-and-a-half minutes.

Missouri State’s defense then tightened up, forcing four consecutive stops in the last three minutes of the game, including a miss from Schmidt followed by Brady’s critical 3-pointer, and three more stops – all on missed jumpers by Schweiger – giving the Bears a shot at victory.

MoState was unable to capitalize on two contested layups after Schweiger’s initial two misses, but following a crucial defensive rebound by Zaxton King, the Bears called a timeout with 11.8 seconds left to set up a potential game-tying or winning play, still down by two. After a rare missed 3-pointer from White, the ball landed in King’s hands who was fouled while attempting a 3-pointer with less than a second on the clock.

After King converted one of his first two free throws, Valpo called a timeout to chill the MSU freshman. His third attempt bounced off the rim, and MSU could not manage another shot before the final buzzer in a commendable effort at Great Southern Bank Arena.

Missouri State shot 64 percent in the latter half on 16-of-25 field goals and concluded the game 29-of-50 (.580) overall from the field. The Bears were also 8-of-18 (.444) from distance and left 10 points at the line, converting just 6-of-16 (.375) from the charity stripe.

The Bears, who also benefited from 20 solid minutes off the bench from Logan Epes, out-rebounded Valparaiso 27-25 and recorded 15 assists.

Valpo went 28-of-53 (.528) overall from the field, 6-of-18 (.333) from three-point range, and 11-of-15 (.733) at the line, along with 10 second-chance points on 9 offensive boards.

In the first half, the Bears received 10 points from Osei-Bonsu and dished out 8 assists on 13 field goals, but a buzzer-beater three from Valpo’s Schmidt allowed the Beacons to lead 35-34 at halftime. Missouri State led by six points on two occasions, taking a 30-24 advantage on a free throw by Brady with 3:51 left in the half before Valparaiso finished the period on an 11-4 run.

The Bears will hit the road this weekend for a nationally-broadcast game at Bradley on Saturday (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network) before returning to Great Southern Bank Arena on Tuesday, Jan. 7 to face UIC at 7 p.m.

Tickets for the UIC game can be obtained at MissouriStateBears.com/tickets or through the Missouri State box office at Great Southern Bank Arena, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours. 

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