Gavin Thurman had 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting including a perfect 3 for 3 from behind the arc to lead Missouri State to an 89-61 season opening victory Friday over Philander Smith.
Four other players for the Bears scored in double figures with Marcus Marshall scoring 16 points including a 9 for 10 effort from the charity stripe. Christian Kirk had 14 while Drew Wilson and Anthony Downing each had 12. Wilson recorded a double-double by adding 11 rebounds and was a perfect 6 of 6 from the floor. The Bears shot 46 percent from the field on the game.
Missouri State led 45-28 at half time but went on a 12-4 run in the first 2:57 of the second half capped off by a Kirk lay-in to make it 57-32.
Alvin Nance scored 11 points for Philander Smith (1-1), all from the free-throw line.
