Adam Leonard hit seven 3-pointers and finished with 24 points as Missouri State defeated Drake 75-59 Wednesday night.
Kyle Weems added 17 points and 10 rebounds for the Bears (19-10, 8-9 Missouri Valley Conference), who beat the Bulldogs in Springfield for the ninth straight time and the 18th time in 19 games.
Josh Young led Drake (13-17, 7-10) with 20 points.
Missouri State pulled away for good early in the second half. The Bears extended their 33-29 halftime advantage to 44-31 in the first three minutes of the second half and led by at least eight the rest of the way. Missouri State hit three 3s during its 11-2 run.
Leonard hit three 3s in the first 5:02 as the Bears raced out to 16-4 advantage. Drake, though, rallied and took a 27-26 lead with 4:37 remaining before halftime. Missouri State answered with a 7-2 run and never trailed again.
