Jermaine Mallett scored a career-high 23 points, leading Missouri State to an 89-76 win over Murray State on Tuesday night in the opening round of the National Invitation Tournament.
Missouri State (26-8), the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion, held a double-digit lead through most of the first 10 minutes of the second half before Murray State (23-9) went on a 14-2 run to cut it to 68-66 with 6:09 left.
But the Racers, who led only once early in the game, were never able to go ahead. Mallett, a senior, guided the third-seeded Bears to a 13-4 run and an 81-70 lead with 2:01 remaining.
''Our motion offense did a good job moving and screening. I was able to take advantage of that,'' said Mallett, who enjoyed facing a non-conference opponent. ''It was great to find somebody else to play against who doesn't know too much about you, but they did a good job of pressuring you and taking you out of your offense.''
Kyle Weems finished with 14 points for Missouri State and Will Creekmore added 13. Nafis Ricks and Nathan Scheer each scored 12.
Next up, the Bears play the winner of Wednesday night's game between Miami and Florida Atlantic.
Missouri State coach Cuonzo Martin said the game gave his players a chance to play at a different pace.
''The Valley play is a grinding, physical league. It's good for our guys who shoot and slash. We let Ricks attack. We told him to put his head down and get to the lane,'' Martin said.
Ivan Aska led No. 6 seed Murray State with 16 points and Jewuan Long added 15. Isacc Miles had 13 and Isaiah Canaan 11.
''We scored enough points, but unfortunately when they shoot 80 percent from the free throw line and 55 percent from the field on their home court, that's tough. They're a tough team to overcome,'' Murray State coach Billy Kennedy said.
The Racers were regular-season champions of the Ohio Valley Conference.
''We missed some free throws and took some quick shots,'' Kennedy said.
