Just four games removed from talk of “peaking,” the Bears lost their fourth straight game as they head into the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament.
The Bears lost 71-56 on Saturday against the University of Northern Iowa.
“We were awful,” Bears head coach Lusk said in his postgame radio show.
After being picked to finish first in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Bears went 7-11 in the conference for the second straight year.
Missouri State trailed by as many as 17 points in Saturday’s contest.
Northern Iowa had a 22-20 lead with 8:21 left in the first half before they went on a 20-5 run to end the half.