The Bears' road to the NCAA Tournament just got an awful lot tougher.
Missouri State suffered a brutal loss on Saturday when unbeaten Wichita State erased a 19-point deficit to knock off the Bears at home. They didn't know it at the time, but they also lost their leading scorer.
Marcus Marshall, the 2013 Missouri Valley Rookie of the Year, is out indefinitely after tearing the meniscus in his right knee late in the second half of the loss to the Shockers. He will have surgery on Wednesday.
"We'll know more about his prognosis after the surgery," head coach Paul Lusk said in a statement. "It's unfortunate because he was just starting to get into a rhythm after his earlier injury, and it has been a very fragmented season for him. Obviously Marcus is a big part of our program and our future, and it's unfortunate when these things happen. But we will push forward as a team, and continue preparing for the two big road games we have ahead of us this week."
Marshall is averaging 14.3 points and 2.7 rebounds this season, and scored 15 in the loss to Wichita State. Missouri State is 12-4 overall, and 2-2 in MVC play.
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