SPRINGFIELD -- Kyle Weems scored a career-high 23 points to help the Missouri State Bears improve to 3-0 with a 72-55 win over The Citadel, 72-55, Saturday at JQH Arena on the second night of the Hispanic College Fund Challenge.

Weems hit four three-pointers in the second half and shared team-high rebounding honors with Caleb Patterson with six.

The Bears let a 26-25 halftime lead slip earlier in the second half as Zach Urbanis hit a three-pointer for the Bulldogs to give the visitors a 28-26 lead. Seven-footer Joe Wolfinger then hit another three for The Citadel on its next posession to extend the advantage to 31-28. 

That three-point lead would be Citadel's largest as Weems made MSU's next three baskets -- all threes -- to give the Bears a 34-33 edge. Cuonzo Martin's squad went on a 12-4 run over the next five minutes and would never trail again.

Later in the half, Weems' final three of the game with 4:53 on the clock ended an 8-0 run by the Bulldogs and gave the MSU sophomore a career-best 23 points. It also put the Bears up 55-50 at the time and ignited a 17-5 run to end the game.

Patterson also had a career-high for the Bears with 13 points on 6-of-9 shooting with 3 blocked shots, while Nafis Ricks added 10 points. MSU shot 62.1 percent in the second hafl and 47.3 percent for the game, while turning the ball over just eight times. The Bears also outrebounded Citadel, 32-29.

Citadel (2-2) got 18 points and 7 rebounds from Wolfinger, while Cameron Wells scored 12.

The Bears will shoot for their fourth straight win Sunday at 8:05 p.m. when they take on Eastern Michigan (2-1) in the finals of the three-day event.  Citadel will play Maryland Eastern Shore (0-4) at 5:30 p.m.

Earlier Saturday, Eastern Michigan defeated Maryland Eastern Shore, 76-51, in the first game of the evening.