The Missouri Southern men’s basketball team was on the wrong end of a high-scoring game as the Lions fell 109-101 to Central Oklahoma in an opening-round game of the 2021 MIAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Southern (13-10) was led by 31 points from Cam Martin. Stan Scott scored 22 points and added eight rebounds, while RJ Smith had 17 points and seven boards. Lawson Jenkins and Winston Dessesow had 11 points each in the game.
Central (13-10) had six score in double-figures, led by 24 points from Cam Givens and 21 from Callen Haydon.
The teams traded points for the first three minutes of the first half as a three from Jenkins with 17:27 got the Lions within two at 9-7. UCO, however, went on a 14-6 run and led 23-13 with 13 to go forcing a Lions’ timeout.
Southern trailed 34-24, but a 12-2 run from the Lions over a three-minute stretch tied the score at 36 with 4:44 left in the half. UCO answered with an 8-0 run to go up 44-36 with 2:51 to go, but the Lions closed on a 6-4 run to end the half and trailed 47-42 going into the locker room.
A dunk from Martin off a dish from Scott started the second half for the Lions, but the Bronchos put their foot on the gas and led by 12 (63-51) just five minutes later. UCO led by as many as 14 (71-57) with 11:45 on the clock, but the Lions fought back and a pair of free throws from Scott with 6:14 on the clock got the Lions within five (78-73) and capped a 16-7 run for the Lions.
The Bronchos answered with a run of their own and led by 12 (83-75) just two minutes later and the Lions couldn’t ever get back into the game.
Southern shot 55 percent from the field, 44 percent from long-range and 76 percent from the free throw line, but UCO was just as hot from the field. The Bronchos shot 57 percent from the field, 48 percent from long-range and 83 percent from the free throw line.
The Lions will now wait until Sunday evening to see if they have made the field of 48 for the NCAA Tournament. The Lions entered the final regular season ranking as the 7th team in the poll. The top six teams make the NCAA Tournament.
