Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern Men's basketball team hung tough and nearly pulled off the upset of No. 2 ranked Northwest Missouri as the Lions fell 71-64 today to the Bearcats on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
 
Southern (13-10, 10-7 MIAA) was led by Lawson Jenkins as he finished with 20 points, going 6-of-7 from the field, 4-of-5 from long-range and 4-of-6 from the free throw line. RJ Smith added 16 points, four rebounds and four assists.
 
Northwest (23-3, 16-2 MIAA) got 26 points from Trevor Hudgins and 19 from Diego Bernard.
 
The Bearcats got on the board first before Smith answered the next trip down. The two teams then went quiet until the 16:17 mark of the first half when Byron Alexander had a dunk for Northwest to put the Bearcats up 5-2.
 
The Lions trailed by 13 (20-7) with 9:36 to go, but a jumper from Smith with 6:27 left got Southern within five (22-17). The Bearcats led by 12 with 2:35 to go, but the Lions closed and a pair of free throws from Jenkins with 14 seconds left made the halftime score 38-32, Northwest.
 
The Bearcats led by 13 (62-49) with 4:33 to go, but that's when the Lions started to chip away. A three-point play from Jenkins with 1:20 to go cut the lead to five (64-59), and a three from Isaiah Holden with 42 seconds left got the Lions within four (68-64). But the Bearcats made three-of-four free throws down the stretch to seal the win.
 
The Lions shot 44 percent in the game and forced 14 Bearcats' turnovers. Southern assisted on 13 of its 22 made baskets and the Lions made 50 percent of its three-point baskets, holding the potent Northwest long-range shooters to just 36 percent from behind the arc.
 
Southern will be back in action on Wednesday night as the Lions play host to Pittsburg State. Tip off from Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is set for 7:30 pm.