KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Griffon Men's Basketball (10–3, 2–0 MIAA) closed out the 2025 calendar year and its nonconference schedule with a 100–91 loss to Truman State (4-7, 1-2 GLVC) on Saturday inside Pershing Arena.

The game remained a tight back-and-forth battle with 6:58 left in the first half, with the score knotted at 26–26. Truman State's offense then found its rhythm, building a nine-point advantage at 41–32 with 3:07 remaining before halftime. The Bulldogs carried that momentum into the break, taking a 47–41 lead at halftime.

The Griffons opened the second half with strong energy, pulling even at 52–52 with 17:08 remaining. MoWest then began to create separation, building a six-point advantage at 65–59 with 13:41 left. Truman State regained the lead at the 5:41 mark, edging ahead 83–81, and the Bulldogs would not trail again. Each time the Griffons made a push, Truman State responded with timely baskets and steady free-throw shooting to secure the 100–91 victory.

Truman State delivered an outstanding offensive performance, shooting a blistering 38-of-61 from the floor for 62.3 percent efficiency. The Bulldogs were sharp from deep as well, knocking down 8-of-18 three-pointers for a 44.4 percent clip. At the free-throw line, Truman State added to the scoring with 16 makes on 25 attempts, finishing at 64.0 percent on foul shots.

MWSU finished the game shooting 46.4 percent from the field, going 32-of-69 overall. The Griffons knocked down 41.9 percent from three-point range, connecting on 13-of-31 attempts. At the free-throw line, MWSU went 14-of-19, shooting 73.7 percent on foul shots.

Noah King led MWSU with 23 points on 40.0% shooting (6-of-15), going 9-of-10 at the free-throw line, while adding five assists and four rebounds.

Marko Pavlovic followed with 20 points on 62.5% shooting (10-of-16), adding a team-high 13 rebounds and two assists.

MoWest resumes conference play in the New Year on Thursday, January 1 to face Nebraska-Kearney. Tip-off from the Health and Sports Center in Kearney is set for 7:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and the MIAA Network.