Kansas City, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern men's basketball team led 19-11 with a little over eight minutes to play in the first half, but Nebraska-Kearney closed the half on a 24-4 run and the Lions could not come back, falling 80-61 to the Lopers in the MIAA Tournament semifinals. 

Southern (18-12) will now have to await its fate for the NCAA Tournament as the brackets will be announced on Sunday evening. 

DJ Feitl had a career-high 19 points on the night, going 6-12 from the field and 4-5 from long-range. Taevaunn Prince scored 15 points and added 12 rebounds, while Charlie Brown scored 12. 

UNK (20-10) had three score in double-figures, led by Connor Beranek with 35 points and 13 rebounds. 

The Lions led 11-5 early on after a three from Austin Wright and the lead was eight (19-11) after a layup from Prince with 8:41 to go in the first half. 

UNK, however, started a 24-4 run that would end the half and the Lopers led 35-23 at the break. 

The lead reached 19 (45-26) in the second half after a jumper from Beranek with 16:24 left in the frame. Back-to-back tip in's from Greg Renfroe, the later coming at 5:41, cut the lead to nine (64-55), but that would be as close as the Lions would get. 

The Lions shot just 33 percent from the field and 43 percent from the three-point line. Southern made 85 percent of its free throws. 

If this is the end of the season for the Lions, Prince will go down as one of the most decorated men's basketball players in MSSU history and the highest-scoring two-year player ever at MSSU. He finishes his career with 1,303 points, a record 791 this season, as well as the MSSU and MIAA single-season record for free throws with 273. He is the all-time leader in single-season and career scoring average (26.4 and 21.4, respectively), while also ranking second in career free throw percentage with .838. 

Austin Wright will go down as the best three point shooter in MSSU history. He has three of the top four single-season three point percentages, as well as holding the career (265) and single-season three-point marks (88). Wright actually owns the top two three point marks in MSSU history. 

Greg Renfroe will go down as one of the best blockers in MSSU history. His single-season total of 62 last year is second-best all-time and his career total of 117 is tied for third-most all-time with Jordan Talbert.