Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern men's basketball team made a furious second-half comeback, but came just short as the Lions fell 68-66 in non-conference action to Oklahoma Wesleyan on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Southern (6-6) was led by a double-double from
Enis Memic with 16 points and 12 rebounds.
CJ Carr scored 16 and added five assists, five steals and six boards, while
Koray Gilbert,
Kinzer Lambert and
Parker Jennings scored eight points each.
Oklahoma Wesleyan (11-5) had three in double-figures, led by 15 points from KJ Malveau.
Carr started the scoring with a three just a minute and a half into the game. A layup from Lambert with 16:31 left in the first gave the Lions an 11-2 lead and a three from Jennings with 13:59 to go gave the Lions a 16-7 advantage.
After a three from Jennings with 12:26 to go gave the Lions a 19-7 lead, OKWU went on a 10-0 run and forced a MSSU timeout with the Lions leading 19-17 with 10 minutes to go. Coming out of the timeout, a three from Clark off an assist from Carr gave the Lions a 22-17 lead.
The Eagles took the lead at 25-24 after a bucket from Jarvis Hamilton with 4:25 left, but a three-point play from Memic gave the Lions the lead back at 27-25 the next trip down. The Eagles tied it back up at 27 with 1:28 to go, but a put back bucket from Memic with 12 seconds left gave the Lions a 29-27 lead at the break.
The 29 points at the break were the fewest this season in a half for the Lions.
The two teams traded baskets to start the second half before an 8-0 run from OKWU put the Eagles up 43-37 and forced a Southern timeout with 13:31 left. A three for the Eagles put OKWU up 46-37 with just under 13 to play.
Carr answered the three with a long-range bomb of his own the next trip down, but the Eagles hit a three on their next trip to lead 49-40 with 12:17 to go.
A three from Alexander with just under 11 to go gave OKWU a 54-41 lead and after the Eagles went up 12, a 7-0 run from the Lions cut the lead to just five (63-58) at the under-five media timeout.
A pair of freebies from Clark with 3:50 to go cut the lead to just three (63-60), and a three from Gilbert with 6.9 seconds left got the Lions to within two (68-66). A last-second attempt at a three to win it wouldn't fall for the Lions.
Southern shot 36 percent from the floor and forced 16 OKWU turnovers, scoring 13 points off of the miscues. The Lions were out-rebounded 46-36 in the game.
MSSU will be back in action on Tuesday evening as the Lions will play host to Randall University at 7 pm inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
