Missouri State basketball coach Cuonzo Martin started the season with a bold statement, saying that if the Bears, picked to finish 11th in the Missouri Valley Conference, lived up to its low expectations, it would be the best season in the league's history.
But when Valparaiso freshman All Wright, a former Joplin and Link Year standout, made a layup with 2 seconds left to lift the Beacons over the Bears on Wednesday night, Missouri State clinched a 12th-place finish during its final season in the league.
Wright scored 24 points, including 17 in the game's final seven minutes, for a 66-64 win over the Bears in Valparaiso, handing Missouri State a last-place finish.
Missouri State (9-19, 2-15 MVC) will play in the 2:30 p.m. game at Arch Madness in St. Louis against the league's fifth-place finisher on March 6.
This is the first season the Bears have finished last in the MVC standings since 2008-09, coincidentally Martin's first year as MSU's coach during his first stint. They are the only two times Missouri State has ever finished last in the league.
Wright struggled from the field for most of the night but came through for the Beacons when it counted.
The Bears led by six with 5:26 remaining. After the Beacons cut it to four, Wright was fouled on a three-point attempt before making all three of his free throws. He knocked down a 3 about a minute later to take the lead.
MSU's Jalen Hampton split a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left, tying the game and giving the Beacons a chance to hold for the last shot. Wright made it count when he drove to the basket and got a game-winner to fall with two seconds remaining.
Wright, who played his first three seasons at Joplin before playing one year at Link Year, is likely on his way to the league's Freshman of the Year honor. He's averaging 13.2 points, 2.4 assists and 2.1 rebounds per game.
At 2-15, the Bears have three games remaining to try and avoid their worst league record. Their previous low came during the last-place 2008-09 season when they finished 3-15 under Martin. The league has expanded since then, creating more games. Since joining the MVC, only the 5-13 team in 2014-15, the program's third year under Paul Lusk, have the Bears won fewer than seven games.
The Bears close out their season with back-to-back home games against Illinois State (Saturday, 7 p.m.) and Belmont (Feb. 26, 7 p.m.) and a March 2 finale at league-leading Drake.