Joplin, Mo. –  The Missouri Southern women's basketball team had four score in double-figures, including a double-double from Jenson Maydew as the Lions won their third game in a row with a 79-66 win at home over Nebraska-Kearney.
 
Southern (5-4, 2-0 MIAA) was led with 21 points and five rebounds from Deb Holcomb. Maydew went 6-9 from the field and 2-4 from long-range to score 15 points and add ten rebounds for the first double-double of the season for the team. Chelsey Henry had 14 points and five boards, while Desirea Buerge scored 12 and added five rebounds. Jasmine Green had nine points off the bench.
 
Kearney (3-6, 0-2 MIAA) was led by 17 points from Alexa Hogberg.
 
Southern opened the game with four three's, two from Holcomb, and a bucket from Henry to lead 14-6 at the first media timeout. Another three, this one from Maydew, made the score 19-12 with 2:22 to go and another three from Maydew, the sixth of the quarter for the Lions, made the score 24-14 after one.
 
Southern went 6-7 from the three-point line in the quarter, the only miss coming on the last possession of the quarter.
 
The Lions' lead was 12 (30-18) after a free throw from Julianna Wadsworth, but the Lopers went on a 9-2 run, capped by a layup from Courtney Aitken made the score 32-27 and forced a Southern timeout with 3:44 to go.
 
Coming out of the timeout, the Lions went on a quick 5-0 (all from Holcomb) run to push the lead back to ten (37-27), and the run reached 12-4 to end the half as the Lions went into the locker room up 44-31 at the break.
 
A free throw from Buerge with 5:54 left in the third quarter made the score 52-39 and a bucket from Green with 4:37 gave the Lions a 17-point advantage (58-41) with 3:25 left. The Lopers cut the lead to just ten (58-48) with two minutes to play, but a three from Holcomb made the score 65-51 after three.
 
A free throw from Bri Shavers-McNeace with 7:44 left in the fourth gave the Lions a 68-52 lead, but an 8-0 run from the Lopers cut the lead to just eight (68-60) with five minutes to play. Southern answered back with a 5-0 run of its own and after a pair of free throws from Henry, the Lions' lead was 77-64 with 52 seconds left.
 
Southern shot 48 percent from the field, 63 percent from long-range and 76 percent from the field. The Lions bench out-scored the Lopers 32-26.
 
Southern will be back in action on December 8 traveling to Lincoln University. Tip off from Jason Gym is slated for 5:30 pm.