SMS seeks to keep energy high against Evansville, in MVC postseason tourney.
When Nathan Bilyeu made a strong baseline drive for a dunk in Saturday's victory over Illinois State, the Southwest Missouri State forward let out a scream.
It was the kind of play ? and emotion ? that had been missing from Bilyeu's game.
"I've struggled of late and it really boosted my confidence a lot," Bilyeu said of his career-high 15-point performance in the 77-66 victory.
Bilyeu wants to keep it going tonight as the Bears wrap up the regular season at Evansville.
The sophomore from Ozark said he shows emotion when he's playing well. That explains the lack of screams and shouts in the last few weeks.
The dunk, however, got him going.
"I released some emotion with that one," Bilyeu said. "I definitely had some fun with it."
Coach Barry Hinson said it was "good to have Nate back. I think the aliens abducted him for a while.
"He just let everything loose in the second half."
Bilyeu averaged just 4.6 points in a seven-game stretch prior to Saturday. Everything looked difficult as Bilyeu often forced plays instead of picking his spots.
"When Nate rebounds and defends ... it makes us better and it makes him better offensively," Hinson said.
Bilyeu said he fed off the energy of fellow sophomore Deven Mitchell, who also had a big game. Mitchell had 11 points, but stood out most with six steals.
"Deven brought everybody else up to the pace that we need to play," Bilyeu said. "He sacrificed his body for the team and I think people realized that's what we all need to do."
After scoring only two first-half points, Bilyeu jump-started his own game with the dunk early in the second half.
SMS trailed by five at the time, but with Bilyeu scoring seven in a three-minute stretch, the Bears caught and passed the Redbirds.
"The dunk got me going quite a bit," Bilyeu said. "I knew I needed to take it strong to the hole. It gave me a little boost."
Now it's up to Bilyeu and the Bears to keep the energy high at Evansville, which is tied for last in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Aces are a dangerous offensive team, however, with four players averaging double-figure points. They shot 65 percent in a Saturday loss at Drake.
"It definitely comes down to defense for us," Bilyeu said. "Our offense feeds off defense so much."
The Bears could wind up in a three-way tie for third with a victory. Northern Iowa and Creighton are one game in front of SMS, but face tough road games (UNI at Wichita State, Creighton at Illinois State) tonight.
There's no way the Bears can be a No. 3 seed, however. They're going to be seeded fourth or fifth and likely will face Northern Iowa in a Valley Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday.
Creighton would win the tie-breaker in a three-way tie.
If Creighton loses and Northern Iowa wins, then the Bears would face Creighton in the tourney.
No matter the seed, SMS has come a long way after a 1-6 start to league play.
"They've earned it," Hinson said of his players' ability to recover from the poor start.
Bears notes
? SMS has won 16 consecutive times on senior night. ... Mitchell's six steals tied for third-most in school history. ... Guard Blake Ahearn has made 59 straight free throws, one away from the school and Valley records. ... The Bears are No. 79 in the RPI computer index; Evansville is No. 214 in the RPI index.
When Nathan Bilyeu made a strong baseline drive for a dunk in Saturday's victory over Illinois State, the Southwest Missouri State forward let out a scream.
It was the kind of play ? and emotion ? that had been missing from Bilyeu's game.
"I've struggled of late and it really boosted my confidence a lot," Bilyeu said of his career-high 15-point performance in the 77-66 victory.
Bilyeu wants to keep it going tonight as the Bears wrap up the regular season at Evansville.
The sophomore from Ozark said he shows emotion when he's playing well. That explains the lack of screams and shouts in the last few weeks.
The dunk, however, got him going.
"I released some emotion with that one," Bilyeu said. "I definitely had some fun with it."
Coach Barry Hinson said it was "good to have Nate back. I think the aliens abducted him for a while.
"He just let everything loose in the second half."
Bilyeu averaged just 4.6 points in a seven-game stretch prior to Saturday. Everything looked difficult as Bilyeu often forced plays instead of picking his spots.
"When Nate rebounds and defends ... it makes us better and it makes him better offensively," Hinson said.
Bilyeu said he fed off the energy of fellow sophomore Deven Mitchell, who also had a big game. Mitchell had 11 points, but stood out most with six steals.
"Deven brought everybody else up to the pace that we need to play," Bilyeu said. "He sacrificed his body for the team and I think people realized that's what we all need to do."
After scoring only two first-half points, Bilyeu jump-started his own game with the dunk early in the second half.
SMS trailed by five at the time, but with Bilyeu scoring seven in a three-minute stretch, the Bears caught and passed the Redbirds.
"The dunk got me going quite a bit," Bilyeu said. "I knew I needed to take it strong to the hole. It gave me a little boost."
Now it's up to Bilyeu and the Bears to keep the energy high at Evansville, which is tied for last in the Missouri Valley Conference.
The Aces are a dangerous offensive team, however, with four players averaging double-figure points. They shot 65 percent in a Saturday loss at Drake.
"It definitely comes down to defense for us," Bilyeu said. "Our offense feeds off defense so much."
The Bears could wind up in a three-way tie for third with a victory. Northern Iowa and Creighton are one game in front of SMS, but face tough road games (UNI at Wichita State, Creighton at Illinois State) tonight.
There's no way the Bears can be a No. 3 seed, however. They're going to be seeded fourth or fifth and likely will face Northern Iowa in a Valley Tournament quarterfinal on Saturday.
Creighton would win the tie-breaker in a three-way tie.
If Creighton loses and Northern Iowa wins, then the Bears would face Creighton in the tourney.
No matter the seed, SMS has come a long way after a 1-6 start to league play.
"They've earned it," Hinson said of his players' ability to recover from the poor start.
Bears notes
? SMS has won 16 consecutive times on senior night. ... Mitchell's six steals tied for third-most in school history. ... Guard Blake Ahearn has made 59 straight free throws, one away from the school and Valley records. ... The Bears are No. 79 in the RPI computer index; Evansville is No. 214 in the RPI index.
