Sam Houston held off a late surge from Missouri State to claim an 80-71 Conference USA victory Wednesday night at Great Southern Bank Arena. After a Keith Palek III three-pointer brought the Bears within 65-64 with 5:36 remaining, the Bearkats outscored Missouri State 15-7 over the final stretch to secure the win. Jacob Walker led Sam Houston with 16 points, including 10 in the final seven minutes, while Veljko Illic added 14 points for the visitors. Trailing 38-33 at halftime, Missouri State drew within one possession 14 times in the second half but could not take the lead. Missouri State finished 27-of-56 (.482) from the field and 6-of-15 (.400) from three-point range, while Sam Houston shot 31-of-57 (.544) overall and outscored the Bears 50-40 in the paint.