Springfield, Mo. - After a little over a week from their previous competition, the men's basketball team was back in action Tuesday afternoon. They began their two-game stint at the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic with a matchup against the Illinois Springfield Prairie Stars in Springfield, Missouri.
Sam Thompson got the Lions going with a hook shot on their first possession, giving them the first lead of the game.
Cam Williams then pushed that lead with a good three pointer. A couple minutes later, Williams drained another three to make it 10-6 MSSU. Illinois Springfield fought back to make it a tie game near the midway point of the first half.
After UIS took the lead,
Winston Dessesow successfully converted the and-one opportunity, cutting the deficit to 29-27. He hit another jumper late in the period, and
Avery Taggart made a three, keeping the Lions close at 39-36. Just before the half,
Vinson Sigmon Jr. made a bucket on an assist from
Ibn Loyal, making the score 45-38 UIS.
Missouri Southern's portion of the second half was kicked off by
Darius Dawson. A few minutes later,
Sam Thompson made a layup, then followed up with a three-point play on a good layup and made free throw from the foul. Illinois Springfield pushed their lead over double digits, but another basket from Thompson and a layup from
Vinson Sigmon Jr. cut the deficit back to 10 at the 9:55 mark. The Prairie Stars built on their lead for the remainder of the game, ending in a 96-77 final.
Sam Thompson led the Lions with 15 points on 7-12 shooting from the field. He also had 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal on the day.
Darius Dawson had a similar stat line, finishing with 14 points on 6-9 shooting, with a team-high 8 rebounds.
Cam Williams and
Winston Dessesow each finished with 12 points, and
Parker Long led the Lions with 3 assists.
Continuing play in the Double Tree Thanksgiving Classic, the Lions will take on the hosts of the tournament in the Drury Panthers Wednesday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:45 PM on November 22.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
