SPRINGFIELD, Mo. | Alabama State fell behind late in the first half and could not get any closer than six points in the second half, falling to Missouri State 59-50 at JQH Arena Sunday afternoon.

Kevin Holston was the lone player in double figures for Alabama State (0-1) as he finished with 11 points, going 4-for-7 from the floor. Meanwhile Tobi Ewuosho and Kevion Stewart each finished with nine points in the loss, while Brandon Battle added eight points and six rebounds.

The Hornets shot just 32.1 (17-of-53) percent from the floor and 25.0 (5-for-20) percent from beyond the arc, while they also shot 73.3 (11-of-15) percent from the free throw line. They forced Missouri State (1-1) into 20 turnovers and outscored the Bears 23-8 off the bench.

The two teams traded the lead for most of the first half, including when Alabama State used a three-pointer from Stewart with 7:26 to play in the half to tie the game at 14-14. The Hornets took the lead pushed it to 17-14 when Battle converted a three-point play with 6:05 to play in the half. However, Missouri State used a 15-5 run to close out the first half to take a 29-22 lead.

After the Bears were able to push the lead to 11 early in the second half, Alabama State answered to cut it to six at 34-28 with 14:30 to play on a three-point play by Ewuosho. However, that was as close as the Hornets could get in the second half, as each time they got to within six the Bears had an answer and were able to hold on for the win.

Keandre Cook had a career day for Missouri State as he finished with 31 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the floor, including 6-of-7 from beyond the arc. Tulio Da Silva grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds for Missouri State who finished the day shooting 42.3 (22-of-52) percent from the floor. They also shot 36.8 (7-of-19) from beyond the arc and 66.7 (8-of-12) percent from the free throw line.

Alabama State returns to action Tuesday night on the road against Houston, with tip set for 7 pm. The game will be streamed on ESPN3, and carried on the Hornet Sports Network beginning at 6:45 pm.

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