SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) - Jermaine Mallett scored 22 points and Missouri State pulled away in the second half to beat Illinois State 82-71 Saturday night.
Adam Leonard and Will Creekmore each added 16 points the Bears (10-3, 2-0 Missouri Valley), who shot 63 percent after halftime. Kyle Weems finished with 13 points.
Anthony Cousin led the Redbirds (8-5, 0-2) with 23 points, Jackie Carmichael had 22 - both career highs - and John Wilkins 14.
After taking a 38-36 leading into halftime, Missouri State opened the second half with a 15-7 run to push its lead to 10. Nafis Ricks scored six of his seven points during the spurt, and the Bears led by at least eight the rest of the way.
Illinois State shot 68.2 percent (15 of 22) in the first half but never led my more than five and held its last lead at 13-10. The Redbirds shot 44.8 percent in the second half.
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