Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern men's basketball team fell victim to a big second-half run from No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri and the Lions fell 72-45 in a low-scoring battle tonight inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
 
Southern (4-3, 0-1 MIAA) was led in scoring by Ndongo Ndaw who tied a career-high with 11 points tonight, going 5-of-7 from the field and grabbing six rebounds. Avery Taggart scored 13 points, while Vinson Sigmon Jr. had ten points and a game-high eight rebounds.
 
Northwest Missouri (7-0, 1-0 MIAA) was led in scoring by Diego Bernard who scored 25 points on 11-of-17 shooting.
 
Southern opened the scoring with a bucket from Christian Bundy and held the Bearcats scoreless until the 16-minute mark. Northwest, however, went on a 7-2 run before a free throw from Avery Taggart stopped the run and the Lions trailed 7-3.
 
A freebie from Ndaw at the 11-minute mark cut the lead to three (11-8) and a bucket from Ndaw two minutes later got the Lions within two (14-12). A bucket from Ndaw with four minutes to go made the score 20-16, Northwest, but the Bearcats closed the period on a 10-3 run to lead 30-19 at the break.
 
The Bearcats scored six-straight to start the second half, before a bucket from Ndaw with 17:47 left stopped the run and three's from Taggart and Sigmon made the score 38-27 with 16:20 to go.
 
Northwest Missouri went on a 13-2 run and led 51-30 with 9:29 to go in the half and the Bearcats led 60-32 with 6:51 to go.
 
Southern got a three from Dessesow with five minutes to go and a step back jumper from Taggart with 3:49 left to make the score 65-37 and a three from Taggart with 1:35 to go made the score 69-45. 
 
The game was the third-lowest scoring game in the series between the two teams. Northwest Missouri won 52-50 in the lowest-scoring affair in January of 2006 and the Lions returned the favor the next year, winning 59-57 in Joplin.
 
Southern will be back in action this Saturday as the Lions will play host to Missouri Western. Tip from Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is set for 3:30 pm.