ISU Sycamores lose Moss to injury, fall at Missouri State, 97-78

SPRINGFIELD, MO (12-30-2005) – Six Missouri State players scored in double figures as the Bears defeated Indiana State, 97-78 on Friday (Dec. 30). Blake Ahearn led the Bears with 20 points, while Deke Thompson added 18. MSU jumped ahead by double digits midway through the first half and carried a 49-31 advantage into the intermission.

MSU out-rebounded the Sycamores 46-34 and connected on 35-of-71 (.493) attempts from the field. The Bears’ front-line scored 44 points in the paint, and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, as MSU recorded 23 second-chance points. ISU’s Trent Wurtz, Jay Tunnell, and Mick Yelovich all fouled out in the contest.

Sophomore Gabriel Moore scored a career-high 20 points in the loss. Fourteen of his 20 came in the second half. Tyson Schnitker added 15 points, while Tunnell chipped in with 12. Freshman Jeremiah Wise came off the bench and scored nine points in 12 minutes for the Sycamores.

Senior forward David Moss was forced to leave the game with 11:35 remaining in the first half with a leg injury. Later it was determined to be a torn hamstring and Moss is expected to miss two to four weeks of action. Moss finished the game with 3 points in 8 minutes of play. Prior to the injury through 10 games, Moss had been averaging 17.5 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 33.7 minutes per game.

The loss drops ISU to 8-2 (1-2 MVC) on the season, while Missouri State moves to 8-2 (1-1 MVC). The Sycamores return home to take on IPFW Monday (Jan. 2) night. Tip-off is set for 6:05 p.m., CST at Hulman Center.

USA-365.com provides live Internet audio streaming with Brian Fritz providing the play-by-play and Jim Waugh the color commentary. The pre-game show both starts at 5:40 p.m. (CST), with the tip-off set for 6:05 p.m., CST / 7:05 p.m., EST on www.USA-365.com.

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