ST. LOUIS — Not quite enough.
In a game that stayed neck-and-neck throughout the entire second half, No. 6 Missouri State pulled away just far enough and hit its free throws down the stretch, emerging with a 70-64 win over third-seeded Northern Iowa in Friday’s Missouri Valley Conference Tournament quarterfinals at the Scottrade Center.
With the win, the Bears (17-15) will face No. 2 seed Wichita State (28-4) in Saturday’s 5 p.m. semifinal matchup. The Shockers rolled past Bradley, 82-56, in their quarterfinal game.
The Panthers' loss was their earliest in the MVC Tournament since a quarterfinal defeat in 2014.