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“I did not think for one second this was going to be easy. This was going to be a hard one,” ISU coach Ryan Pedon said. “I’m proud of our team the way they stayed the course and just kept coming.”

As the Redbirds improved to 11-8 overall and 3-5 in Valley play, here are a few observations about how and why the contest unfolded as it did.

ISU mustered just nine points through the game’s first 11:48 and trailed by 13 as Dez White scored 11 of Missouri State’s first 13 points.

“He was one of the leading guys on the scouting report, and he got comfortable early,” Redbirds guard Dalton Banks said of White. “It’s hard when a good player starts off comfortable and makes shots. We had to adjust.”

Two straight Banks baskets and a Ty Pence 3-pointer helped ISU creep back within single digits. Malachi Poindexter’s 3-pointer from the corner sliced the Bears’ margin to 28-25 and Missouri State led by six at the half.

“We wanted to make them work. That’s easier said than done,” said Bears coach Cuonzo Martin, whose team dropped to 7-12 and 0-8 on conference play. “They have guys making shots at a high level.”

Pedon was displeased with his team’s first half “disposition.”

“We’re normally a very competitive team, a heart and soul team. We lay it on the line,” the ISU coach said. “That wasn’t where I wanted it at halftime. I addressed it with a couple guys in particular, but I addressed it to the room as well.

“I don’t think we had the necessary fight in that moment. Our disposition needed to change and it did. I thought our performance followed.”

ISU center Chase Walker admitted he was one of the Redbirds spoken to at the break.

“He told me to wake the (blank) up,” said Walker.

Redbird sophomore guard Johnny Kinziger went scoreless in the first half, partly because he sat out for nine minutes with two fouls.

“I told him at half ‘we rely on your edge, your competitiveness. We rely on your grit. We rely on you being a pit bull on the floor.’ And I didn’t feel that from him,” Pedon said. “I felt frustration. It’s more a situation of allowing him to veer off a little bit.

“His competitive spirit is as good and healthy as any player I’ve ever been around, especially for a sophomore. We rely on that, and I’m glad we rely on that. I thought it was a night and day difference the second half, and I think our team followed.”

Kinziger completed a three-point play 12 seconds into second half for his first points. He finished with 19, including two free throws at the 16-second mark with the Redbirds clinging to a three-point edge.

“He just made plays. He’s an aggressive and assertive, feisty, tough guard. He’s at the top of our scouting report,” said Martin. “His first shot of the second half went in and we fouled him. You can’t allow a guy hungry to score to make plays like that.”

The tallest player among ISU’s four starting guards at 6-foot-5, Landon Wolf delivered a season-high 17 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

“Coach has always been challenging me to get more rebounds,” Wolf said. “I started at the four today so the four spot has got to rebound a lot and box out a lot. I had a couple fall to me, and I had to go get a couple. Right place, right time on some of them. Sometimes you just have to go get ‘em.”

Pedon pointed to a Wolf offensive rebound with 2:06 left and ISU ahead just 65-61 as “arguably the play of the game.” Wolf was fouled and sank both free throws.

“He came in through the lane with a two-handed rebound over two or three guys and ended up getting fouled,” said the ISU coach. “I thought he contributed in a lot of different ways. He played really hard. I saw growth in him on the rebounding front.”

Pence did not start for the first time since the season opener.

ISU’s Jordan Davis and Jack Daugherty both missed their second straight game with ankle injuries. Pedon does not expect either to be sidelined for an extended period.

Redbird Cameron Barnes was available but did not play. Barnes’ back injury has healed but he has been ill recently.

“He’s had a tough go of it,” said Pedon. “His back is better. He lost some weight because of his illness. He’s got to get back in that rhythm.”

Walker finished with 14 points and Banks 13 points, six rebounds and five assists.

“We have a bunch of guys who are so competitive. They want to win. They’re all about the right things,” Banks said. “Sometimes when things don’t go our way we tend to shell up. It’s almost our way of showing people we care.

“That’s where you really have to get outside yourself and play with joy and play with passion. Make a hustle play to get your guys going. That’s one of the areas we have to grow.”

White connected on 7 of 11 from 3-point range and topped all scorers with 24 points. Vincent Brady II added 13 for Missouri State.

ISU outrebounded the Bears 33-25, limiting the visitors to four offensive rebounds.

Indiana State visits CEFCU Arena to take on the Redbirds in a 7 p.m. game Tuesday.