Pittsburg, Kan. – The Missouri Southern men's basketball team picked up win number one on the season tonight, as Southern took out previously undefeated Illinois-Springfield 89-80 inside John Lance Arena to open the Pittsburg State Classic.
Southern (1-2) was led by
Parker Long who scored 23 points on the night, going 9-of 12 from the field and 2-of-4 from long-range.
Avery Taggart had 20 points and five assists, while Vinson Sigmon Jr scored 15 and
Lawson Jenkins added 14.
Ndongo Ndaw had eight points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
UIS (3-1) was led by 26 points from Jack Weber as Keith Johnson scored 22.
UIS opened up an 8-2 lead over the Lions two minutes into the first half, but the Lions got a three from Long with 16:26 left on the clock to close within one at 11-10. The Prairie Stars again led by six (18-12) with 15 to go, but the Lions went on a 6-0 run to tie it at 18 and a three from Taggart at 11:43 gave Southern a 23-20 lead.
A jumper from
Winston Dessesow with nine to go gave the Lions a 31-25 lead, but a three from Max Kunnert with 2:45 to go tied it at 43. UIS tied it again at 45, but a running layup from Jenkins with two seconds to go in the half gave Southern a 47-45 lead at the break.
The teams traded baskets to start the second half, but a three-point play from Jenkins and a three from him the next trip down gave the Lions a 56-50 lead with 17:21 to go. UIS Tied it at 56, but an 9-0 run from the Lions capped by a three from Sigmon gave the Lions a 65-56 lead with 12:57 on the clock.
A dunk from
Sam Thompson made the score 67-59 with 11 to go and a pair of freebies from Jenkins with two minutes to go pushed the Southern lead to seven at 78-71. Free throws from the Lions down the stretch sealed win number one in the career of Head Coach
Sam McMahon.
The Lions shot 51 percent from the field and 77 percent from the free-throw line. The Lions had a 32-26 advantage in the paint.
Southern will be back in action tomorrow night as the Lions will take on Quincy at 5:30 pm to close out the tournament.
