Joplin, Mo. – A 23-5 second-half run for the 14^th-ranked Missouri Southern men's basketball team helped seal a 77-62 victory today over John Brown University on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
 
Southern (11-1) got 18 points each from Cam Martin and Kinzer Lambert. Lambert added a career-high eight assists, while Martin had a double-double with 18 points and 11 boards. Reggie Tharp had 12 points and five assists, while Elyjah Clark nearly missed out on the double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
John Brown (10-3) had two score in double-figures, led by 14 points from Jake Caudle.
 
The Lions opened up a 6-2 lead early on after a layup from Tharp, but JBU went on a 5-0 run to lead 7-6 with 15:15 left. A 7-0 run from the Lions pushed the Southern lead to 13-7 with 12:40 after a three from Tharp and the Lions led 20-12 after a layup from Dexter Frisbie with 10:17 to go in the half.
 
A three from Clark with nine minutes to go, made the score 23-16 and after JBU got within seven again (28-21), Southern answered and a layup from Lambert capped a 9-3 run and made the score 37-24 with 1:34 to go in the half. JBU would get a late bucket to make the halftime score 37-26, Lions.
 
A three-pointer from Braelon Walker with 15:18 left in the second half gave the Lions a 48-35 lead and a three-point play from Lambert with 13:42 to go had the Lions up 51-39. A three from Parker Jennings with just over ten on the clock gave the Lions a 58-42 lead and a three from Walker a minute later made the lead 17 (61-44).
 
A three from Lambert with 8:38 to go pushed the run to 16-5 and made the score 64-44, while a layup from Martin off an assist from Jennings made the score 67-44. JBU got to within 15 (77-62) but that would be the final score.
 
Southern shot 44 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free throw line. The Lions forced 16 turnovers and scored 20 points off of the miscues.
 
The Lions will be back in action on January 3 when Southern travels to Lindenwood to get back into MIAA play. Tip off from St. Charles is slated for 7:30 pm.