Missouri State defeats Florida International 79-71

By Canadian Press on January 10, 2026.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — Keith Palek III scored 22 points as Missouri State beat Florida International 79-71 on Saturday.

Palek added five assists for the Bears (10-6, 4-1 Conference USA). Kobi Williams scored 14 points and added five rebounds. Zaxton King had 14 points and shot 3 of 5 from the field, including 2 for 4 from 3-point range, and went 6 for 8 from the line.

Julian Mackey led the Panthers (9-7, 2-3) in scoring, finishing with 18 points and two steals. Corey Stephenson added 12 points for Florida International. Larry Olayinka had 11 points, two steals and two blocks. Ashton Williamson also scored 11 points.

Missouri State turned a five-point second-half lead into a 14-point advantage with a 9-0 run to make it a 44-30 lead with 18:15 left. Palek scored 12 second-half points in the win.

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

The Associated Press