Joplin, Mo. -- A 17-1 run to start the second half helped propel the Missouri Southern men's basketball team to an 84-69 win over visiting Emporia State this afternoon on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

Southern (7-4, 1-1 MIAA) was led offensively by Taevaunn Prince with 21 points and 13 rebounds, both career-highs, while Lane Barlow had a double-double of his own with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The 12 rebounds were a career-high for Barlow. Cameron Cornelius had 14 points, while going 8-8 from the free-throw line. 

ESU (6-4, 0-2 MIAA) had four in double-figures, led by 16 points from Terrence Moore. Tyler Jordan, Michah Swank and Josh Pedersen scored 11 each. 

The Lions had an 11-9 lead at the 14:27 mark of the first half after a three from Barlow and led 14-11 after a free-throw from Greg Renfroe a minute later. The Lions, then went on an 11-3 run to go up 25-14 after a three from Wright with just under ten minutes to go in the half. The Lions led by ten (34-24) after a three from Barlow with 6:10 to go in the half, but the Hornets proceeded to go on a 13-4 run and cut the lead to just one (38-37) with 2:41 left in the half. A pair of freebies from Barlow with four seconds left in the half gave the Lions a 42-39 lead at the break. 

Barlow had 14 points and eight rebounds at the break. 

Prince scored coming out of the halftime break to put the Lions up five (44-39) and another bucket from Prince escalated the Lions' run to 15-0 and gave Southern a 57-39 lead at the first media timeout. The Lions' lead was 19 (70-51) after a pair of free-throws from Taylor Luster with just over nine minutes to go in the game. A pair of freebies from Cornelius with 3:56 left gave the Lions an 82-63 lead. 

The Lions shot 49 percent from the field and 39 percent from long-range, while shooting 80 percent from the free-throw line.

Southern will be back in action on January 3 when the Lions travel to Fort Hays State. Tipoff from Gross Memorial Coliseum is slated for 4 pm.