Joplin, Mo. -- The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will be back in action as the Lions travel to Pittsburg State this weekend. Tip off from John Lance Arena is slated for 3:30 pm on Saturday.
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (13-8, 8-4 MIAA) at Pittsburg State (13-8, 6-6 MIAA)
Date: February 3, 2018
Tip-Off: 3:30 PM
Location: Pittsburg, Kan.
Site: John Lance Arena
Series Record: Southern leads 53-46
Coaches: Jeff Boschee (69-43 overall/at MSSU - 4th year). Kim Anderson 340-170 overall/13-8 at Pittsburg State - 16 years)
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Mike McClure - Play by play - Fox Sports Joplin - 101.3, 103.5 FM, AM 1560 KXMS 88.7 FM
Internet Audio: http://www.mssulions.com
Live Video: http://www.themiaanetwork.com/mssulions
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/pittstate/mbball
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/mososports
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mssumensbball
The Series
This will be the 100th meeting all-time between the two schools. The Lions lead 53-46 in the all-time series with 23 wins in their last 38 tries vs. the Gorillas. The Lions are 35-13 at home all-time vs. the Gorillas with wins in 12 of the last 15 home meetings. Southern is 16-31 at Pittsburg. Eighteen of the last 31 games between the two border rivals have been decided by seven points or less.The 99 games played between the two schools is the most played between any two schools in MSSU history.
NCAA Individual Stat Leaders
CJ Carr ranks 22nd in assists per game and 24th in total assists. He ranks 28th in total steals and 37th in steals per game. Elyjah Clark ranks 8th in three pointers per game, while ranking seventh in total three pointers made. Clark ranks 22nd in three's attempted, while ranking 24th in three point percentage.
MIAA Individual Leaders
Carr leads the MIAA in assists per game, steals per game, total assists and total steals. Clark leads the MIAA in three point attempts, three pointers per game, and total three pointers made.
MIAA Team Leaders
The Lions rank second in the MIAA in scoring and offensive rebounds per game, while ranking thired in three point attempts, three pointers per game, total three pointers madetotal rebounds and total rebounds per game.
Freshman of the Year
Elyjah Clark was the MIAA Freshman of the Year last season. His is the sixth Lion in the history of the program to earn that honor, joining Carlos Newberry (96-97), Carlos Escalera (99-00), Skyler Bowlin (07-08), Jason Adams (08-09), and Marquis Addison (10-11).
Three Point Streak
The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 163-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.
Home Sweet Home
Missouri Southern can count on some of the best fan support in Division II. The Lions rank 12th nationally in home attendance this season, averaging 1,480 fans per game. That number is fourth in the MIAA.
Super Tuesday
The Lions won their first game of the year on a Tuesday night against Randall. In Jeff Boschee's tenure, the team is 5-0 on Tuesdays.
Three's Company
The Lions shattered the previous MSSU school record for three pointers in a game against Randall as Southern made 20 three pointers against the Saints. The previous record of 15 was set in 2003 against St. Gregory's.
Holy Points Batman
The Lions scored 110 points in a win over Randall. The 110 points were the most the team has scored since they scored 113 against Southwest Baptist in 2014.
Northwest Non-Norms
Northwest Missouri came into the game with the Lions giving up 58.1 points per game and Southern scored 81 points against the Defending National Champions. The Bearcats also had averaged eight turnovers per game, while the Lions forced 11 Northwest miscues.
Comeback Kids
The Lions trailed by as many as 15 points with eight minutes left in the first half against Northwest Missouri, but closed the half to trail by just three. Southern eventually led by ten twice in the second half and won by six points. Against Missouri Western, the Lions trailed by nine midway through the second half before making the comeback. Against Emporia State, the Lions trailed by nine points with seven minutes left, before mounting a comeback. Southern has three second-half comebacks this year.
CJ Taketh and Giveth
CJ Carr leads the MIAA in both assists and steals this season, while ranking 23rd and 28th nationally in both those categories.
Clutch Free Throw Shooting
Southern was clutch at the charity stripe when it counted against Northwest Missouri. The Lions made 13-14 free throws in the final minute against the Bearcats.
High Scorer
CJ Carr scored 27 points against Northwest Missouri and that mark is the most points allowed to a single opposing player this year by the Bearcats.
Strange Things
At Central Oklahoma, both the Lions and the Bronchos had identical 24-28 marks from the free-throw line.
Records Watch
Sophomore Elyjah Clark set the Missouri Southern single-season record for three pointers last season as a freshman with 89. This year, to date, Clark has 73 long-range bombs and is on pace for 98 this season. Clark has 162 career threes and is well over halfway to the career record of 265 set by Austin Wright. If Clark continues on this pace, he will finish is career with 358 threes.
Chasin' A Grand
CJ Carr enters the game with Pittsburg State with 888 career points, while Elyjah Clark has 747 points.
New Career High
Elyjah Clark set a new career high in scoring against Lindenwood this week. He scored 28 points on 6-10 from the field, 6-9 from long-range and 10-10 from the free throw line.
Lions On The Radio
The majority of the Lions games this season can be heard on the Missouri Southern Radio Network in Joplin. Southern is partnering with Fox Sports Joplin, the Lions can be heard on 101.3 FM, 103.5 FM, 88.7 FM and AM 1560.
Lions on TV
All Missouri Southern conference home games will be brought to you live this season courtesy of KGCS TV in Joplin. Fans can catch the action over the air live on Digital Channel 22 as well as on local cable systems.
Up Next
Southern will be back in action inside the friendly confines of the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on February 7 as the Lions play host to Southwest Baptist at 7:30 pm.
