SPRINGFIELD — It was a strong start to the season for Missouri State (1-0) men’s basketball on Tuesday, Nov. 3. The Bears dispatched Division II Lincoln 88-60.
Missouri State trailed 14-11 inside the first seven minutes of the game. The Bears followed with a 32-9 run, which gave them the lead they needed for a comfortable victory.
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Here are some takeaways from Missouri State’s win.
Andrej Acimovic shines in debut
Missouri State newcomer Andrej Acimovic made his mark. The Bosnian native scored a game-high 24 points on 9-for-16 shooting. The sophomore did not feature for Indiana last season. This was the first college game of his career and the 6-foot-11 center enjoyed every second of it.
“The honor is to these guys for passing me the ball,” Acimovic said. “It was just layups and shooting. My job is not hard.”
The Bears dominated the paint thanks to Acimovic’s presence, outscoring Lincoln 44-20 inside the lane.
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Trey Williams finished with a double-double. He scored 11 points and dished out 10 assists. Williams found Acimovic early and often for easy baskets.
“He’s great with his back to the basket,” Williams said. “He can really pass the ball, too. His job was to score tonight, but you will see him pass the ball a lot more too.”
Melakih Cunningham drops new career-high
One of three returners, Melakih Cunningham did not miss a beat. The sophomore guard came off the bench and tied for the most minutes on the floor with guard Jordan Blair and Williams.
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Cunningham scored a new career-high 19 points on 7-for-8 shooting. He was on fire from behind the arc, going 5-for-6 from 3-point range.
“This week, I made a lot of threes in practice,” Cunningham said. “Coming to the game, I was already confident in the work that I’ve put in. It was no surprise to me.”
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Missouri State’s Melakih Cunningham against Lincoln University at Great Southern Bank Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 3.
Another scoring guard will help Missouri State’s roster this season. If Cunningham can make 3-pointers consistently, he will be a dangerous player because of his athleticism in creating shots at the rim.
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“One of his biggest strengths is actually posting up,” head coach Cuonzo Martin said. “He’s a high-level shooter, and he spends so much time working on this game. You are always happy for a guy like that, who puts that type of work in.”
Cuonzo Martin’s take on opening win
This is Martin’s third season in his second stint with the Bears. With 12 new players, Missouri State saw a new roster hit the floor.
For the majority of the first half, the team rotated eight players. Guard Dylan Rowe, forward Christian Thompson, Williams, Acimovic and Blair started in the first lineup. Cunningham was one of the first players off the bench with forward Matt Gray and forward Ngundeng Ruey.
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Team continuity will be key moving forward, especially with two more games against Division II opponents in the next week.
“We talked about as a staff was just the togetherness with so many new guys,” Martin said. “Can you maintain your composure and play to your strength on both sides of the basketball? I thought we did that for the most part.”
Martin credited Lincoln for being the aggressors in the opening five minutes of the game. Once the Bears slowed down and focused on themselves, Missouri State was off and running.
The Bears host Truman State at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 6.
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Liam Keating covers high school sports and Missouri State athletics for The Springfield News-Leader. Send stats or information to him at Lkeating@usatodayco.com
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Inside Andrej Acimovic, Melakih Cunningham’s big nights in season opener
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