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Day: February 26, 2021

WOMEN’S HOOPS: Gorillas fall to Hornets

Posted on by Lucas Davis

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Daley Handy and Fredricka Sheats combined for 35 points to lead the Emporia State women’s basketball team to a 65-58 road win over Pittsburg State on Thursday at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court.

Handy scored a game-high 18 points for ESU (17-4, 17-4 MIAA), including a key 3-pointer with 25 seconds that extended the Lady Hornets lead to 63-58. Sheets, who gave ESU the lead for good at 55-54 with a 3-pointer with 2:59 to go, sealed the win with a pair of free throws with five seconds left in the game.

Pitt State (13-8, 13-8 MIAA) led by as many as 14 points, 29-15, midway through the second quarter but the Lady Hornets outscored the Gorillas 16-2 the rest of the period to knot the score at 31-31 at intermission.

Kaylee DaMitz led four Pitt State players in double figures with 14 points. Tristan Gegg added 13 and Maya Williams and Sydnee Crain chipped in with 11 apiece.

Pitt State will close out the regular season by hosting Newman University on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.

COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL: PSU earns win over Hornets

Posted on by Lucas Davis

EMPORIA, Kan. — The Pittsburg State University volleyball team posted a 3-1 victory over Emporia State University on Thursday at William L. White Auditorium. The Gorillas defeated the Lady Hornets, 25-18, 25-21, 21-25, 25-19.

Pitt State is 1-2 on the young 2020-21 spring season. The Gorillas will travel to Warrensburg, Missouri, on Friday to take on the University of Central Missouri at 6 p.m. at the UCM Multipurpose Building.

COLLEGE BASEBALL: No. 18 Missouri Southern Lions set to host Emporia State

Posted on by Jason Peake

The 18th-ranked Missouri Southern baseball team will open up MIAA play and play host to Emporia State this Saturday and Sunday at Warren Turner Field.

The Lions and Hornets will play a pair of games on Saturday beginning at 1 pm and the series finale will be Sunday afternoon at 1 pm.

Southern comes into the game ranked 18th nationally and leading the MIAA with a 6-0 overall record. Southern opened the regular season with a sweep at Flagler College in Florida and went 3-0 this past weekend playing host to the MIAA/GLVC Challenge with wins over Missouri S&T (2) and Missouri Western.

Will Bausinger was the MIAA Pitcher of the Week after getting the win in the finale this past Monday, striking out nine in five innings of work. Henry Kusiak hit .500 on the week, while the Lions had a pair of homers from Joe Kinder. The Lions have hit 13 home runs on the season as a team and have driven in 45 runs, while hitting .300 as a team. Kusiak leads the way at .417, while Dexter Swims leads the team with 10 RBIs.

Bausinger is 2-0 on the season and is second in strikeouts with 17. Zac Shoemaker (1-0) and Zach Parish (1-0) are tied at 18 K’s each.

Emporia State is 2-2 on the season as the Hornets split a four-game set at Colorado State – Pueblo this past weekend to open the season.

 

MEN’S HOOPS: Emporia State downs Pittsburg State

Posted on by Lucas Davis

PITTSBURG, Kan. — Jumah’Ri Turner and Austin Downing combined or 49 points to lead the Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team to a 78-57 victory over Pittsburg State University Thursday (Feb. 25) at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court.

Turner scored a game high 27 points on 10-15 shooting for the Hornets (11-10, 11-10 MIAA), while Downing added 22 points and six assists in the contest. ESU built a 42-27 halftime advantage against Pitt State (10-11, 10-11 MIAA) and the Gorillas got as close as 10 points, 46-36, with 15:07 to go.

Antonio Givens II was the lone Gorillas player in double figures with 10 points. Quentin Hardrict Jr. added nine points, while Martin Vogts finished with eight points and seven rebounds. Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr. and Cameron Huefner chipped in with seven apiece.

The Gorillas will close out the regular season Saturday (Feb. 27) when they entertain Newman University at 3:30 p.m.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: MSSU’s Bradley announces coaching staff

Posted on by Jason Peake

Missouri Southern head football coach Atiba Bradley has announced the members of his coaching staff which includes several newcomers and some holdovers that were already at Missouri Southern.

Remaining on the staff for the Green and Gold are Assistant Head Coach and Offensive Line Coach Matt Rahl, Defensive Coordinator Joe Bettasso, Tight Ends Coach Sean McGrath, Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Zach Shaw and Director of Operations, Rylee Hartwell.

New to the fold for the Lions are Offensive Coordinator Adam Austin, Defensive Line Coach Chance Alberswerth, Recruiting Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Colton Meyers, Running Backs Coach Reggie Mitchell, Defensive Backs Coach Mitch Leppke, Assistant Defensive Backs Coach Trey Porter and Assistant Defensive Line Coach Michael Gallo.

“I’m very excited about the coaches I have been able to assembled to help me mold, and lead our team,” Bradley said. “They come with a variety of backgrounds and experiences that will serve as a great resource for our players. The commonality with this staff is the ability to coach, mentor, recruit at a very high level. I’m only as good as the people I surround myself with and I feel very confident in the group of coaches I’m working with me. We all share a vision and a common goal of winning a MIAA championship to Missouri Southern.”

Below are each assistant coaches’ name and title. You can click on their names to see a complete and full bio for each coach.

 

Matt Rahl – Associate Head Coach/Offensive Line

Adam Austin – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks

Joe Bettasso – Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers

Sean McGrath – Tight Ends

Chance Alberserth – Defensive Line

Colton Meyers – Recruiting Coordinator/Wide Receivers

Reggie Mitchell – Running Backs

Mitch Leppke – Defensive Backs

Trey Porter – Assistant Defensive Backs

Michael Gallo – Assistant Defensive Line

Rylee Hartwell – Director of Operations

BOYS WRESTLING: State berths up for grabs at Saturday’s sectional meets

Posted on by Jason Peake

 

Area boys wrestling sectionals are scheduled for Saturday. 

At the sectional, the top three finishers in each weight class will advance to the state tournament in Independence. 

The state tournaments will run from March 9-13 and will be held at Cable Dahmer Arena. 

Below is a look at the sectional qualifiers from Joplin area squads. 

 

CLASS 4 SECTIONAL 3 AT OZARK 

Joplin and Carthage combined to advance 17 wrestlers to the sectional round. 

 

JOPLIN

The Eagles had six wrestlers advance to the sectional with their top-four showings at the district tourney.

Joplin’s Sam Melton was the district runner-up at 106 pounds, while Josiah Vaughn (132) and Gunner Price (285) both won third-place matches. 

Advancing by finishing fourth in their respective brackets were Rocky Walker (126), Drew VanGilder (170) and Scott Lowe (195).

 

CARTHAGE

The Tigers had 11 wrestlers advance. 

Capturing district titles were Davion King (145) and Luke Gall (182), while Dagan Sappington (132), Eli Sneed (138), Braxdon Tate (152) and Grey Petticrew (160) all finished second in their brackets. 

Bradyn Tate (113), Carlos Reyes (120), Kip Castor (126) and Kanen Vogt (220) all finished third, while Dylan Huntley (106) placed fourth. 

 

CLASS 3 SECTIONAL 3 AT WILLARD

There are 37 athletes from four regional schools competing at this sectional. 

 

NEOSHO

The defending state champion Wildcats will have 12 athletes competing at the sectional. 

Nine Neosho wrestlers took first place in their respective brackets at the district event—Raymond Hembree (106), Landon Kivett (120), Hayden Crane (132), Eli Zar (145), Trent Neece (152), Cayden Auch (160), Eric Holt (170), Jeremiah Larson (195) and Jacob Fry (220).

Neosho’s Jonathan Chrisco finished as the runner-up at 126, while Nathan Copeland was third at 138 and Wyatt Black was fourth at 113. 

 

CARL JUNCTION 

The Bulldogs had 12 athletes advance to the sectional with their top-four finishes at the district tournament. 

Carl Junction’s Jesse Cassatt captured a district championship at 182 pounds. 

Lukas Walker (106), Max Matthews (113), Dexter Merrell (138), Cole Stewart (145) and Kameron Bennett (285) all finished second in their respective brackets at the district tourney, while Dylan Frazier (126), Lucas Watkins (152), Chance Benford (170) and Brennan Carey (220) all won third-place matches. 

Finishing fourth at the district tournament were Keaton Colburn (120) and Cayden Bollinger (195).

 

MCDONALD COUNTY

The Mustangs will have seven wrestlers competing at the sectional.

Blaine Ortiz (113) and Jayce Hitt (285) captured district championships, while Levi Smith (132) and Sam Murphy (220) finished second in their brackets.

Victor Lopez-Sebastian (106), Cross Spencer (138) and Alexis Molina-Cruz (160) also advanced after finishing fourth in their brackets. 

 

WEBB CITY 

The Cardinals will have six athletes competing at the sectional. 

Webb City’s Colton Taylor (120), Roger Carranco (182) and Jacob Ott (195) were district runners-up, while Brayden Hollingsworth finished third at 160. 

Dominic Boles (132) and Jackson Ward (170) advanced by finishing fourth. 

 

STILL UNDEFEATED

Neosho’s Cayden Auch (43-0) and Jeremiah Larson (38-0) and Carl Junction’s Jesse Cassatt (43-0) are all currently undefeated ahead of the sectional meet.

 

CLASS 2 SECTIONAL 3 AT SENECA

SENECA

The Indians will have a wrestler competing in all 14 weight classes.

Seneca’s district champs were Brady Roark (106), Kendon Pollard (126), Andrew Manley (132), Clayton Swadley (145), Gabriel Commons (170) and Zane Cotten (195).

Alex Mejia-Jerez (113), Brayden Thiel (120), Lincoln Renfro (152), Dane Napier (182) and Jakob Tate (220) all finished second in their brackets. 

Garret Babbitt finished third at 285, while Cole Whitehead (138) and Jeremy Williams (160) both placed fourth. 

Competing for Cassville will be Kurt Deaver (106), Matthew Whittenburg (126), Gavin Moore (132), Gabe Hunter (138), Jake Anthonysz (145) and Zach Coenen (220). Coenen was a district champ.

Competing for Monett will be Simon Hartline (106), Karey Anderson (113), Ben Bluel (132), Elias Barrientos (152), Corbin McCully (160), Ethan Umfleet (182), Joe Korasick (220) and Harrison Merriman (285). Anderson, Barrientos (15-0), McCully, Umfleet and Merriman are district champs. 

Nevada had seven move on to the sectional—Kynndrick Brooks (106), Braylin Brooks (113), Mokey Dawn (126), Ethan Dighero (132), Jace Lee (170) and Skylur Mashek (285). Brooks and Mashek are district champs.

 

STATE WRESTLING SCHEDULE

The girls tournament will be held on March 9. 

As far as the boys tournaments, Class 1 is slated for March 10 and Class 2 is March 11. The Class 3 event is March 12, with the Class 4 event to be held on March 13. 

Matches begin at 9:30 a.m. each day, with championship matches scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. 

 

GIRLS STATE QUALIFIERS

GIRLS WRESTLING: Area athletes advance to state tournament – SoMo Sports (somo-sports.com)

BOYS HOOPS: Points off turnovers, second-chance points lead Webb City past Neosho

Posted on by Jason Peake

WEBB CITY, Mo. — Converting turnovers into hoops in transition and turning offensive rebounds into second-chance points were both key in Webb City’s 81-56 Central Ozark Conference victory over the Neosho Wildcats on Thursday night inside the Cardinal Dome. 

The Cardinals scored 34 points off Neosho’s 20 turnovers while also converting 24 offensive rebounds into 24 second-chance points

“Coming out of our first timeout, that was a point of emphasis,” Webb City coach Jason Horn said. “We had to start crashing the glass against their zone. We weren’t checking out early defensively. Neosho plays hard and goes after the ball. But we started doing a better job of boxing out. And we were able to get some turnovers and some runouts.”

Overcoming an early eight-point deficit, the Cardinals finished the first half on a 17-5 surge to take the lead for good.

“I thought our kids played well and I thought our kids played hard,” Horn said. “We got the game going up and down, and that’s what we needed to do.” 

Webb City’s 30-point third period put the game away.

“Their putbacks and our turnovers hurt us,” Neosho coach Zane Culp said. “They’re so big, strong and athletic. You have to box them out all the way back to the 3-point line. I think they overwhelmed us a little bit. They are probably the most athletic team we’ve played all year. But hopefully that got us prepared for the postseason.” 

The Cardinals are now 17-8 and finished 5-4 in the COC. The win assured the Cardinals of a top-four finish in the COC standings behind Nixa, Republic and Ozark.

Neosho is now 12-11 and 3-5 in the COC. 

 

NAMES & NUMBERS

In arguably his best performance of the season, 6-foot-3 junior forward Kaden Turner led the Cardinals with 17 points and 13 rebounds. Turner made 7-of-12 shots.

“He’s really good and he’s going to be a problem for anybody we play the rest of the way,” Horn said of Turner. “He’s going to be a big problem for everybody next year. He’s talented. He’s long and athletic and can shoot the ball really well. He’s put a lot of time in. We missed him when he was out, and we’re glad he’s back. He can help us go a long way.” 

Senior guard Mekhi Garrard had 16 points and seven boards, while junior guard Cohl Vaden added 15 points with three treys. 

Senior point guard Nickhai Howard scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds and four steals and handed out three assists. 

Webb City shot 43 percent (33-of-77) and out-rebounded Neosho 52-26. 

Senior guards Chase Flynn and Landon Austin and sophomore guard Isaiah Green scored 12 points apiece for the Wildcats, who made 39 percent of their field goal attempts (22-of-57). 

 

GAME RECAP

Neosho got off to a great start. Three different Wildcats — Flynn, Brock Franklin and Carter Fenske — hit treys in the first period and the visitors held a 17-9 lead. 

“We started hitting shots and some of the best things Webb City does is off transition and making you turn it over,” Culp said. “If you can put the ball in the hole, and give yourself a fighting chance on defense, you set yourself up for success. Our start was nice to see, but then they went on that big run in the second quarter. We couldn’t quite recover from it.” 

A 3-pointer from Vaden and a hoop from Howard trimmed Webb City’s deficit to three, 17-14, at the end of the opening frame. 

“You have to give credit to Neosho, they were the better team in the first quarter,” Horn said. “They were the team getting the loose balls and the rebounds. I thought we matched their energy in the second and third and fourth quarters.”

Trailing 23-19, the Cardinals put together an 11-0 run late in the second quarter to take a 30-23 lead. 

Four different players scored during the game-changing spurt, as Turner had two putbacks and Garrard had one of his own, while Vaden hit a 3-pointer and Trenton Hayes scored on a turnaround in the lane. 

By the break, Webb City’s lead was 33-26. 

The Cardinals started the second half on a 9-2 run, with Garrard’s hoop after an offensive rebound giving the hosts a 42-29 advantage. 

Led by Turner’s 11 points in the frame, Webb City outscored Neosho 30-18 in the third quarter to take a comfortable 63-44 advantage into the fourth period.

Howard’s steal and layup made it 74-54 with 3:25 remaining. 

 

WHAT’S NEXT?

The Wildcats conclude the regular season at Branson on Friday. 

Second-seeded Neosho meets third-seeded Monett at 7 on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 11 tournament. 

“We have beat Monett twice, but it’s hard to beat a team three times,” Culp said. “They’ve struggled in some games and they’ve played well in some games, so we’ll have to play well on short rest.”

Webb City is taking plenty of momentum into the postseason after winning a second straight game in convincing fashion to end the regular season.

Top-seeded Webb City hosts fourth-seeded Carl Junction at 7 on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 12 tournament.

“We’re excited that we’ll be back at home against a rival,” Horn said. “It’s always a good atmosphere when Carl Junction comes over here. Coach (Justin) Pock is doing a good job with them. We’ll have to be ready.”

PREP HOOPS ROUNDUP: Joplin boys earn signature win; Applegate, Stokes have big nights; Golden City boys claim district crown; Joplin girls fall short

Posted on by Jason Peake

BOYS HOOPS ROUNDUP

JOPLIN 66, OZARK 61

OZARK, Mo. — Joplin put a halt to its five-game skid with a big Central Ozark Conference win over Ozark to wrap the regular season on Thursday.

The Eagles (12-12, 3-6 COC) trailed by three heading into the second period before outscoring the Tigers (18-8, 7-2) 17-11 in the second period to take a 26-23 lead into the intermission. Joplin pushed the lead to five to start the fourth and held on down the stretch to earn the win.

Always Wright led Joplin with 22 points, while All Wright added 15. Dante Washington added 10 points, with LT Atherton and Dominick Simmons each finishing with seven.

Joplin opens the Class 6 District 12 tournament as the third seed and will travel to second-seeded Republic for a 7 p.m. matchup on March 2.

 

NEVADA 58, SPRINGFIELD CATHOLIC 50

NEVADA, Mo. — Senior guard Logan Applegate poured in a career-high 44 points for the Tigers, making 17-of-18 free throws along the way. 

Nevada coach Shaun Gray said Applegate scored 21 of his team’s 23 fourth quarter points. 

The Tigers have won 12 straight games and are now 19-5.

Nevada hosts Logan-Rogersville (18-5) at 7:30 on Friday night. 

The second-seeded Tigers host third-seeded Harrisonville on Tuesday in the semifinals of the Class 5 District 12 tournament. 

 

GOLDEN CITY 65, LOCKWOOD 43

BOLIVAR, Mo. — The Eagles captured the Class 1 District 8 championship. 

Golden City, now 22-4, advances to the sectional round on Tuesday against either St. Elizabeth or Climax Springs.

Lane Dunlap scored 27 points, Joshua Reeves had 22 and Chain Parrill added 13 for the Eagles, who outscored the Tigers 42-23 after intermission. 

Kane Cooper scored 17 for the Tigers. 

Lockwood finished the season at 23-2. Both losses were to Golden City. 

 

GIRLS HOOPS ROUNDUP

OZARK 66, JOPLIN 25

OZARK, Mo. — Ozark outscored Joplin 30-4 in the first quarter and never looked back in a Central Ozark Conference win to wrap the regular season for the Eagles.

Anna Hitt led Ozark with 19 points, while Mariah Putt added 12. Riley Boggs closed with nine. All 10 Tigers scored in the win over Joplin.

Emma Floyd led Joplin with 10 points, while Brooke Nice finished with six.

Fourth-seeded Joplin travels to top-seeded Kickapoo for a 7 p.m. matchup to open the Class 6 District 12 semifinals on Monday.

 

MOUNT VERNON 68, SPRINGFIELD CATHOLIC 38

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Missouri Southern recruit Lacy Stokes poured in 41 points and hit eight 3-pointers to lead the Mountaineers to a lopsided win. 

Mount Vernon used a 26-9 third quarter to pull away. 

Grant Berendt’s Mountaineers (23-3) are the No. 1 seed for next week’s Class 4 District 12 tournament. 

Mount Vernon awaits either No. 4 East Newton or No. 5 Cassville in the March 4 semifinals.

GIRLS HOOPS: A memorable night for Duda, Kimbrough in Cardinals’ win over East Newton

Posted on by Lucas Davis

WEBB CITY, Mo. — For Webb City seniors Jaydee Duda and Sierra Kimbrough, Thursday’s 53-22 win over East Newton was a memorable final home game.

Prior to the tipoff, Kimbrough was named Homecoming Queen. On the court, Duda led the Cardinals with a game-high 28 points to close out the regular season on a high note.

“It was the last regular season home game, so we wanted to send our seniors out on a positive note,” Webb City coach Lance Robbins said. “I thought both of them did an effective job tonight. It was awesome to see Sierra win Homecoming Queen. I know she probably had a lot of emotions and things on her mind, and then she had to transition into the game. Jaydee got us going early offensively and Sierra did a good job finishing it off there in the fourth quarter for us offensively. Those two have done a great job for us all year long.”

“We were disappointed with the way we played on Tuesday,” Robbins added about his team earning a bounce back win after falling to Carthage earlier in the week. “We thought that was a very winnable game for us. … I thought we came out tonight and did some good things offensively and some good things defensively—things that will give us confidence going into district play next week at Nevada.”

GAME ACTION

The Cardinals (8-14) limited the Patriots to one free throw over the first five-plus minutes of action in the opening period to build a 10-1 advantage. Duda led the way for Webb City with nine points during the run, including a 3-pointer from the wing.

“We were switching up between man (defense) and zone,” Robbins said of his team’s defensive execution. “I thought we got down and guarded and made them shoot contested jumpers and were able to rebound and get out to run in transition. … I thought we also did an effective job with our press early in the game.

“(The fast start) was really big for us. We’ve struggled in the first quarter of games all year long. So, to get off to a good start tonight was really important for us.”

Webb City started the second period on a 9-3 spurt to push the lead to 14, which was the margin by the intermission, 27-13. Duda started the run with a corner trey and a score on the drive before Kate Brownfield grabbed an offensive rebound for a putback bucket. Malorie Stanley closed the run with a score inside on a basket cut.

“Jaydee is one of those kids who can have 30 or 35 any given night,” Robbins said of Duda’s performance. “She came out ready to play and was able to get some easy buckets in transition. When she makes some of them early, her confidence just grows. She started hitting the 3 after that. It was just one of those good nights for her with the ball going in the basket.”

Despite the large lead at the half, Webb City didn’t get complacent to start the third quarter. It was quite the opposite. After a basket from East Newton put the first points on the scoreboard, Duda followed with the next seven points — including a three-point play — to stretch the lead out to 34-15. The Cardinals pushed the lead to 20 later in the quarter when Brownfield knocked down a free throw to make the score 37-17 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.

“We talked at halftime about not being satisfied with being up 14,” Robbins said. “We felt like we could build on that lead and continue to improve. … Learning how to put a team away is important and something we will have to do in district play.”

Webb City put the game out of reach after opening the fourth quarter on a 14-0 run. Kimbrough highlighted the game-sealing surge with three 3-pointers. 

STATS

Duda added three rebounds and three assists to go along with her 28 points. Malorie Stanley scored 10 points, while Brownfield finished with six points, 10 rebounds and two assists. Kimbrough closed with nine points, while Peyton Hawkins pulled down nine rebounds and had three assists.

DISTRICT TOURNAMENT

Webb City is the third seed in the Class 5 District 12 tournament. The Cardinals open the postseason on the road with a matchup against second-seeded Nevada (11-11) scheduled for 7 p.m. on March 1.

“Nevada is a good basketball team,” Robbins said. “They match up well with us height and size wise. We are looking forward to the opportunity to play. We don’t want our season to be over.”

COLLEGE HOOPS: Martin’s big night leads MSSU men past No. 25 Washburn

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Missouri Southern men’s basketball team out scored Washburn 45-33 in the second half and picked up a big 89-80 win over the 25th-ranked Ichabods tonight on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

Southern (13-8) was led by Cam Martin as he scored 28 points and added 14 rebounds, pushing his career point total to 1,990 and passing Jason Adams for second place on the all-time scoring list at MSSU. Stan Scott had 14 points while Christian Bundy added 12 points and six boards, and Lawson Jenkins had 11 points.

Washburn (15-6) was led by 25 points from Tyler Nelson and 21 points from Tyler Geiman.

The teams traded baskets for most of the first half, but a jumper from Martin with 13:36 gave the Lions a 17-14 lead. A three from Martin with 12:44 on the clock kept the lead at three (20-17), and a layup from Bundy with 10:52 pushed the lead to six (25-19).

Southern led 34-27 after a jumper from Martin with seven minutes left, but Washburn went on an 11-0 run to take a 38-34 lead with just under four remaining on the clock. The Ichabods led 45-39 with 1:39 left, but a pair of free throws from Lawson Jenkins with two seconds left made the halftime score 47-44, Washburn.

Washburn led 54-48 with 18:15 left in the 2nd half, but a 6-0 run from the Lions capped by a layup from Bundy with 16:50 left, tied the game at 54. Washburn led by four (60-56) with 14:21 on the clock, but the Lions got a pair of layups from Yagizhan Selcuk, the last one with 11 minutes to go to cap an 11-4 run to lead 67-64.

A three from Jenkins with 9:16 on the clock made the lead 73-67, Lions but a layup from the Ichabods with just more than seven on the clock gave Washburn a 74-73 lead.

A putback from Selcuk with 4:30 on the clock gave the Lions a 77-76 lead and Jenkins made three freebies with 3:45 to push the lead to four (80-76). A three from Jenkins made the lead 86-80 with a minute to go, while a pair of freebies from Scott with 36 seconds left made it 88-80, which ended up being the final score.

The Lions shot 62 percent in the first half and 53 percent overall in the game. Southern out rebounded Washburn 41-32.

Next up for Southern will be senior day on Saturday against Central Oklahoma. Tip off is set for. 3:30 p.m.

COLLEGE HOOPS: Strong defense keys MSSU women in win over Washburn

Posted on by Jason Peake

The Missouri Southern women’s basketball team took a big step to securing an MIAA Tournament Berth as the Lions used a stingy defense to knock off Washburn 59-51 on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

Southern (8-13) was led offensively by Carley Turnbull who scored 16 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-2 from long-range. Madi Stokes scored 11 points and added nine rebounds and a block, going 5-of-7 from the field in the game.

Washburn (10-11) was led by Lauren Cassaday and Nuria Barrientos with 15 points each.

Southern held the Ichabods to just 12 points in the first half, two of which came in the second quarter where the Lions held Washburn to just a pair of made free throws.

The Lions opened up a 10-2 lead halfway through the first quarter after a bucket in the paint from Turnbull. A late bucket from Washburn cut the Lions’ lead to 16-10 after one. Southern utilized a hearty defense in the second quarter and outscored the Ichabods 19-2 in the frame. A bucket from Amaya Johns made the score 33-11 with two minutes to go and layup from Anna Hall with 19 seconds to go made the halftime score 35-12, Lions.

Scoring was even in the third quarter at 11 apiece. The Lions led by 24 on multiple occasions and a bucket from Johns with 1:34 left in the quarter pushed the lead to 26 (46-20). Southern led 46-23 after three.

Washburn made a run at the Lions in the fourth quarter outscoring Southern 28-13 in the period, but the Lions held off the late charge to seal the win.

Southern shot 48 percent from the field and 50 percent from long-range, while making 73 percent of its free throws. The Lions held Washburn to just 33 percent from the field and 15 percent from long-range.

The Lions will be back in action this Saturday as Southern plays host to Central Oklahoma for Senior Day. Tip off is set for 1:30 p.m.

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