Kansas City, Mo. - Closing out their season opening tournament, the MSSU men's basketball team played again at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, facing the Bemidji State Beavers Saturday afternoon. That contest ended in a 69-61 final in favor of Missouri Southern, giving the Lions a 1-1 start to the 2023-24 season.
Sam Thompson got the Lions going with a hook shot on their first offensive possession, giving Southern their first lead of the game. After a BSU turnover,
Vinson Sigmon Jr. pushed that lead to 4-0 with a jumper.
Cam Williams and
Darius Dawson then got in the mix, making the score 13-12 Beavers with 9:23 left in the first.
Following a
Parker Long jumper,
Ibn Loyal drained a three to even the score at 19 with 3:39 on the clock. With just over a minute left before the break,
Darius Dawson slammed home a dunk to give MSSU the lead at 23-21.
Cam Williams scored the final four points for the Lions before halftime, as the score read 27-26 in favor of Missouri Southern.
Bemidji State had the opening bucket of the second half, taking a brief lead. That lead was quickly diminished, as five different Lions scored on straight possessions, capped off with a
Sam Thompson dunk. The Beavers fought back to go ahead 45-43 midway through the period.
Thompson scored five straight to keep things tight, and
Darius Dawson hit a jumper to give the Lions the lead at 52-51 with 5:30 left. Shortly after,
Cam Williams scored five and
Vinson Sigmon Jr. added a basket to boost that lead. BSU got within three with just over two minutes left, but
Sam Thompson gave MSSU a boost with a dunk on a feed from
Vinson Sigmon Jr. Six straight free throws and another Thompson dunk from Sigmon Jr. made the final 69-61 in favor of the Lions.
Recording the Lions first double-double of the year,
Darius Dawson recorded 16 points and 10 rebounds on 6-9 shooting from the field.
Cam Williams led the team with 19 points, going a perfect 6-6 from the free throw line. In addition, Williams had 4 rebounds and 2 steals.
Sam Thompson went 8-10 from the field, recording 17 points and 6 rebounds in the win.
Vinson Sigmon Jr. also hit double digits with 10 points, leading the team in assists with 5.
The team will host Central Christian College next for their home opener. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 7:00 PM on Monday, November 13 at the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
