WARRENSBURG, Mo. — The 21st-ranked Missouri Southern men’s basketball team built a 14-point lead by halftime en route to a 67-58 win over Central Missouri on Tuesday night.
The Lions improved to 3-0.
Cam Martin once again led the way for the Lions, as the senior standout compiled 23 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals.
Martin moved into eighth place on the MSSU all-time scoring list, passing both Chris Turner and Keane Thomann to finish the night with 1,537 points.
Winston Dessesow contributed 15 points and six boards, while Stan Scott added 12 points off the bench, going 5-of-9 from the field.
The Lions shot 46 percent from the field and out-rebounded UCM 37-25. Southern had 38 points in the paint, while the Mules had 22.
Cameron Hunter scored 16 points to lead Central Missouri (0-2).
The Lions used a 14-2 run in the first half to go up 24-11. After a jumper from Scott and free throws from Martin, Southern led 35-21 at halftime.
The Mules pulled within four at 47-43, but Martin answered with a 3-pointer.
Hoops from Martin and Dessesow extended MSSU’s lead to 60-50 with just under four minutes to play.
UCM WOMEN 78, MSSU 52
Central Missouri’s women outscored Missouri Southern by double digits in the first and third quarters on the way to a 78-52 win on Tuesday.
The Jennies led 22-12 after the first period before taking a 12-point lead into the intermission. Central Missouri edged Southern 22-11 out of the half to build an insurmountable advantage.
The Lions shot 28.6 percent (16-56) from the field and were 4-of-15 shooting from the perimeter. UCM outscored MSSU 32-20 in the paint and 18-7 in second-chance points. The Jennies had 26 fast-break points, while Southern scored just four points in transition. UCM won the rebounding battle 53-37.
Kaitlin Hunnicutt led the Lions with 14 points on 3-of-11 shooting and 6-for-6 shooting from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds. Carley Turnbull was 5-of-12 shooting from the floor and finished with 13 points. Madi Stokes added seven points and nine rebounds.
Central Missouri had three players finish in double-figure scoring, led by Nija Collier’s 18 points and nine rebounds. Olivia Nelson scored 16 points and had three assists and three rebounds, while Brooke Littrell finished with a double-double after scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds.
The Lions travel to Lincoln on Saturday.
