Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern men's basketball team had an eight-point lead at the half and held on to win 86-82 over visiting Pittsburg State today on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

Southern (17-11, 14-8 MIAA) earns the No. 3 seed to the MIAA Tournament and will earn a bye to Kansas City. The Lions will play the winner of the Washburn - Missouri Western game at noon on Friday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. 

The Lions were led in scoring by Taevaunn Prince as the senior scored all but four of his points in the second half. He went 8-14 from the field, added 12 rebounds and went 9-9 from the free throw line, increasing his MIAA and MSSU single-season record to 262 made free throws on the season. Charlie Brown scored 20 points on 6-10 shooting and 2-3 from long-range, while Austin Wright scored 15 points on 4-8 from the three point line. Greg Renfroe scored 7 points and added six points and five blocks. 

Pitt (16-12, 11-11 MIAA) had three score in double-figures, led by 29 points from Trey Starks. 

Both teams traded leads throughout the first part of the first half, but a three from Brown with 6:44 left in the half, put the Lions up 29-25. Southern led by eight twice in the half, the second being after a layup from Renfroe that made the halftime score 41-33. 

The Lions led by ten three times early in the second half, the last coming off a jumper from Renfroe to put Southern up 47-37 with 16:48 to go in the half. The lead reached 12 (61-49) after a jumper from Prince with 11:43 to go, but Pitt cut the Lions' lead to four on multiple occasions down the stretch, but a dunk and a free throw from Renfroe with 1:59 left put the Lions up by seven (81-74). 

A three from Javis Flynn, however, cut the lead to just three (85-82) with seven seconds left, but a free-throw from Taylor Luster with five seconds left, put the game away. 

The Lions shot 52 percent from the field and 53 percent from long range, while making 89 percent of their free throws. The Lions had a 29-27 advantage in rebounds and out scored the Gorillas 31-26 in the paint. 

Southern will be back in action on Friday, March 4 when the Lions will play in the second round of the MIAA Tournament. Tip off from Municipal Auditorium is slated for noon.