SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State racked up 313 total yards and held visiting Sam Houston scoreless in the second half to pull away late in a 24-3 Conference USA victory here Tuesday.

A stingy Bears defense held the visitors to just 26 rushing yards on 25 carries on the night, the fewest allowed by Mo State since surrendering 14 yards (on 22 attempts) at Western Illinois in 2022. It was also just the fourth time over the last 30 years that Missouri State held an opponent to 26 ground yards or less.

Bears quarterback Henry Belin IV was an efficient 12-for-18 for 184 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while the Bears carried 39 times with Connor Lair accounting for 75 yards on a career-high 19 carries and a score. It marked Lair's third consecutive game with 65 or more rushing yards.

Jmariyae Robinson posted a game-high 102 yards on 7 pass receptions from Belin with a score, while last week's standout Isaiah Myers had 3 catches for 77 yards and a TD. Robinson's total made him the first opponent to eclipse the century mark against Sam Houston this season and pulled him within 100 yards of Missouri State's career receiving yardage record, currently held by assistant coach Jermaine Saffold (2,221).

After leading 10-3 at the midway point, Missouri State (3-5, 2-2 CUSA) used a 14-point fourth quarter to put the game out of reach, including an impressive 10-play scoring drive that began late in the third quarter, to gain separation. Ramone Green Jr. did the heavy lifting on the 80-yard march, carrying six times to set up a fourth-and-two at the Sam Houston 37. Coach Casey Woods' squad decided to go for it, and the result was one of the biggest plays of the night for the home squad. A 37-yard pass from Belin to Robinson was just what the doctor ordered on the first play of the fourth quarter and made it a 17-3 game with 14:52 remaining.

Sam Houston chewed up more than five minutes on its next possession before holding the Bears inside their own 40 when the home club got the ball back. The ensuing Missouri State punt was muffed by the Bearkats at their own 17, which Mo State's Martavis Blackmon recovered at the 18.

Belin and Lair then went to work with an eight-yard pass to Robinson getting the Bears to the 10. Four straight carries by Lair eventually found paydirt for Missouri State, giving the maroon side a 24-3 lead with 3:44 to go.

The victory pushed Missouri State to 3-1 at home this season and 5-2 all-time in Weekday CUSA games.

With the Bearkats (1-7, 0-4) missing starting QB Landyn Locke, they turned to junior DJ Bailey who finished the night 20-of-35 for 258 yards. He used 9 different receivers, including Grady O'Neill who caught 6 passes for a team-high 74 yards.

The Bears racked up a season-high 5.0 sacks, 8.0 tackles for loss and 9 pass breakups on the evening with Jared Lloyd accumulating a game-high 7 stops with 1.5 tackles for loss, a sack and a pair of PBUs. Tim Brantley Jr. also accounted for 5 tackles, while Blackmon matched a team-high with 3 solo stops and a sack in an impressive effort. Likewise, a night of solid MSU defense held Sam Houston to just 5-of-14 on third down and 0-for-2 on fourth down.

The Bears took a 10-3 lead into the intermission, thanks to a 32-yard TD strike from Belin to Myers on their second drive of the game. Myers also had a 32-yard catch on the opening play of the drive to spark the nine-play TD series.

Sam Houston responded with a 33-yard field goal by Sam Carpenter with 31 seconds left in the opening stanza to cut into the Mo State lead in what would be the visitors' only score on the evening.

However, Yousef Obeid answered the bell less than five minutes later to cap an eight-play scoring march that included a 42-yard bomb from Belin to Robinson. Robinson extended his school-record streak to 42 consecutive games with a pass reception.

The Bears are back in action on Saturday, Nov. 7 when they travel to Miami to square off with FIU (3-4, 1-2 CUSA) at 3 p.m. (Central). The next home game will be the following Saturday (Nov. 14) when Mo State hosts New Mexico State on Homecoming at 2 p.m.

Tickets for the New Mexico State game are available now at MissouriStateBears.comhttps://mostate.evenue.net/event/FB27/FB05 or by visiting the Great Southern Bank Arena Box Office, (417) 836-7678, during regular box office hours. Please visit MissouriState.edu/Homecoming for more Homecoming events and activities.