Joplin, Mo. --  The Missouri Southern basketball team led by 19 at the half and rolled to a 79-51 victory over visiting Central Bible today in its first game of the 2010 Freeman Sports Medicine/Chris Tucker Memorial Classic. 

Southern (2-0) was led offensively by Jason Adams with 26 points and four rebounds. He added a career-high three blocks and four steals while going 9-17 from the field and 3-5 from long range. Skyler Bowlin and Marquis Addison scored ten each with Bowlin dishing out six assists, pulled down six rebounds and stole the ball five times. 

CBC (2-5) was led by 14 points from Caleb Willis and 11 points from Ethan Garrett. 

The Lions started the game on a 7-0 run and pushed their lead to 20-8 at the 9:17 mark after a layup from TJ Williams. The lead was 23-13 at the 5:45 mark after a free-throw from Adams and Southern clamped down defensively and didn't allow another point the final 6:22 of the first half, leading 34-13 going into the locker room. 

The Southern lead was 44-26 after a three pointer from Adams just five minutes into the second half and was as much as 34 after another three from Adams with 4:18 to go. 

The Lions were out rebounded tonight 42-35, but forced 30 CBC Turnovers, scoring 38 points off of the miscues. Southern stole the ball 20 times, seven off of the single-game record. 

The Lions will be back in action tomorrow evening playing host to College of the Ozarks. The Bobcats lost earlier in the evening to Pittsburg State, 91-73.