Springfield, Mo. - The Missouri Southern men's basketball program will hit the road again for another early season tournament. Hosted by the Drury Panthers, the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic will take place on Tuesday, November 21 and Wednesday, November 22. The Lions will tipoff against Illinois Springfield at 3:15 PM on 11/21, and 7:45 PM on 11/22 against Drury. 

Game One Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (2-1) vs Illinois Springfield (2-3)
Date: November 21
Tip-Off: 3:15 PM
Location: Springfield, Mo.
Site: O'Reilly Family Event Center
Series Record: Lions lead 1-0 | Last meeting: 11/18/22, MSSU won 89-80

Coaches
MSSU: Sam McMahon | 2nd season at MSSU | 19-14 record
UIS: Matt Brock | 9th season at UIS | 142-96 record

Game Two Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (2-1 heading into tournament) vs Drury (3-1 heading into tournament)
Date: November 22
Tip-Off: 7:45 PM
Location: Springfield, Mo.
Site: O'Reilly Family Event Center
Series Record: Lions trail 31-21 | Last meeting: 11/26/16, MSSU lost 83-68

Coaches
MSSU: Sam McMahon | 2nd season at MSSU | 19-14 record heading into tournament
DU: Chris Foster | 3rd season at DU | 19-35 record heading into tournament

Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Mike McClure - Play by play - 101.7 FM The Vault
Live Audio/Video/Stats - https://www.mssulions.com/coverage
Lions on Facebook:  Facebook.com/mssumbb
Lions on Twitter: @mssumensbball; @mososports
Lions on Instagram: @mssumensbball

Scouting the Lions
Missouri Southern heads into the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic at 2-1, splitting their season opening tournament with MSU Moorhead and Bemidji State, and coming off a solid victory over Central Christian College last Monday. Against the Dragons of MSU Moorhead, the Lions fell 99-81, led by Winston Dessesow with 14 points on 5-6 shooting. MSSU bounced back with a 69-61 victory over Bemidji State the next day, as Darius Dawson claimed the team's first double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds. The team used a collective effort for their second win of the year against Central Christian, defeating the Tigers 92-56. 

Dessesow scored his 1,000th point against the Tigers on his first made three pointer of the game. He is shooting 52.4% on the year, averaging 9.7 points per game. Darius Dawson is the team's leading rebounder with 26 total through three contests. Leading the scoring is Dawson and Vinson Sigmon Jr. at 11.3 points per game. 

As a team, the Lions are shooting 51.1% from the field, Sam Thompson shooting 11-13 in his three games played. Dawson has also been efficient, shooting 12-21 on the year. Sigmon Jr. has the team-high in assists at 8, the steals category is a three-way tie between Dawson, Cam Williams, and Dylan Owens, and the blocks column is led by Dawson and Thompson each with three.

Scouting the Prairie Stars
The Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars enter Tuesday's competition with a 2-3 record on the 2023-24 season. They began the year with a tough schedule, facing two top-10 nationally ranked teams in their season opening tournament. First, the Prairie Stars fell to then #7 West Texas A&M 88-73, then they dropped their second contest to #6 Lincoln Memorial 92-80. Following that tournament, UIS picked up their first victory over Kentucky Wesleyan 74-62 in the Midwest Region Crossover. They then dropped a contest to Parkside 75-66, who defeated #5 Indianapolis the game before. Most recently, the Prairie Stars took down NAIA level Judson, 99-64.

Leading the scoring for UIS is Jordan Rice, a 5-9 junior guard. Through five games, Rice is averaging 17.8 points per game on 60.3% shooting from the field, and 63.2% from beyond the arc. He also has 21 assists and 6 steals. 

Several Prairie Stars are averaging 10+ points per game, Jack Weber (12.8), Max Kunnert (11.2), and Jacob Hanna (10.6). The rebounding category is led by Weber, averaging 5.0 per game. 

Scouting the Panthers
The Drury Panthers enter the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic with a 3-1 overall record in 2023-24. They began the year with three straight victories, but dropped their most recent contest. At the SBU Tipoff Classic, the Panthers took down Thomas More by a narrow 73-70 final. The next day Drury edged Trevecca Nazarene 92-87. Their third straight win came against Ozark Christian at home, winning by a score of 106-58. Most recently, the Panthers fell to Arkansas Tech on the road, 75-72. 

Juok Riak, a 6-8 freshman forward, leads the Panthers in scoring. He is averaging 17.0 points per game on 74.3% shooting from the field. Additionally, Riak is averaging 2.8 rebounds per contest, and has 7 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks on the year. 

Adam Moore is the other Panther averaging double digits, scoring 12.8 points per game. His field goal percentage is at 65.5% and is also 9-15 from deep. Logan Applegate leads the team in rebounding, hauling down 20 total for 5.0 per contest. Along with his boards, Applegate has 11 assists, 5 steals, and a block. 

The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.