Lions win Third Straight

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- Missouri Southern trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, but used a 21-3 run over a six-minute span in the second half to defeat Southwest Baptist, 77-72, at the Meyer Sports Center. The win marked the third straight and sixth in eight games for the Lions (8-9, 4-2 MIAA). Southern began the second half by making five of its first six shots, but turnovers and free throw shooting woes limited the Lions` effectiveness. SBU got 11 early points from Martez Young to start the second half and raced to a 14-point lead, 56-42, with 11 minutes to go. After getting the lead, the Bearcats went cold, missing their next five shots and committing four turnovers while the Lions took off on a 21-3 run. All of SBU`s points during the stretch came at the foul line. Quentin Edwards` three-pointer with 5:26 to go gave MSSU the lead for good as the Lions shot nearly 70 percent (16-of-23) in the second half. Missouri Southern committed just three turnovers in the final 12 minutes of the game. Southwest Baptist pulled to within three points with 22 seconds left, but Southern made its last three free throws, and hit seven of their last 10 at the foul line, to secure the victory. Orestus Cavness` scoring binge continued, as the 6-foot-3 senior ended with 24 points. He was 8-of-14 from the field, but made just 8-of-16 at the foul line. Junior transfer Jeremie Bond had his biggest game as a Lion, netting a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Edwards added 11 points and five steals. Cavness is averaging 28.8 points per game over the last four. The Lions were hampered by early turnovers (14 in the first half) and trailed through much of the opening 20 minutes, including by as many as 10 before the Bearcats held a five-point lead at the break. Southwest Baptist (8-7, 2-4) got 17 points off the bench from Young. Michael Johnson and Sheldon Pace added 12 and 13 points respectively. The Bearcats shot 36.2 percent from the field, just 29.4 percent from three-point range, and only 48 percent at the charity stripe. Southern, after connecting on just 33.3 percent of its shots in the first half, made 51.1 percent for the game.