SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) Trey Williams Jr. had 22 points in Missouri State Bears's 87-74 victory over Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on Thursday.

Williams shot 7 for 15 (3 for 7 from 3-point range) and 5 of 7 from the free-throw line for the Bears (14-16, 8-11 Conference USA). Keith Palek III scored 18 points, shooting 4 for 7 (2 for 3 from 3-point range) and 8 of 10 from the free-throw line. Michael Osei-Bonsu finished with 16 points. The Bears ended a seven-game slide with the win.

Teagan Moore led the way for the Hilltoppers (18-12, 11-8) with 23 points. Western Kentucky also got 13 points and two steals from Grant Newell. The loss snapped the Hilltoppers' six-game winning streak.

Missouri State took the lead with 3:43 left in the first half and did not trail again. Palek led their team in scoring with nine points in the first half to help put them up 43-38 at the break. Williams scored 16 points in the second half to help lead the way as Missouri State went on to secure a victory, outscoring Western Kentucky by eight points in the second half.

---

The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.

Copyright 2026 STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited.