Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern men's basketball team took on the Rogers State Hillcats Saturday afternoon at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. After dropping Wednesday's contest, the Lions bounced back with a big win over the Hillcats who were riding a five game win streak. MSSU's 75-53 victory gives them an 8-11 (6-7 MIAA) record on the year.
The visitors had the first possession of the game but came up empty on a three. Snagging that rebound was
Darius Dawson who also scored the first basket of the game.
Avery Taggart came up with a steal on the next RSU possession and followed with a three on offense to give Southern a 5-0 start. After a three by the visitors,
Martin Macenis and
Vinson Sigmon Jr. scored to make it 9-3 early in the game. Dawson, Macenis, and Sigmon Jr. kept finding the basket in the first half of the first period.
Winston Dessesow got in on the action with 10:51 on the clock, nailing a three to give Southern a 22-10 lead. Sigmon Jr. followed with a score, then RSU chipped away at their deficit. They got it down to seven a couple of times in that stretch, but the Lions responded to keep a distance. MSSU went on a 7-1 run in the final four minutes of the half to take a 39-24 lead into the break.
That run would stretch to 15-1 over the first few minutes of the second half, as
Avery Taggart and
Darius Dawson both hit three pointers, and
Martin Macenis made a jumper in between. With 12:51 on the clock,
Parker Long nailed a three to extend the Lion lead to 27. Around the six minute mark, the Hillcats cut their deficit to 19, but Long hit another three and Dawson slammed home a dunk to put it over 20 again. Missouri Southern played solid on both sides of the ball for the remainder of the contest, ending in a 75-53 Lion victory.
Darius Dawson dropped 25 points on 11-14 shooting from the field. He also added 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, an assist, and a steal.
Martin Macenis scored 17, shooting 8-13 from the field. His 9 rebounds led the team, just one shy of a double-double. Additionally, he led the team with 4 assists.
Vinson Sigmon Jr. was the third Lion in double digits, making 5 of his 8 shots for 14 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.
The team will hit the road for a pair of contests next week, traveling first to Wichita, Kansas to take on the Newman Jets. That contest is scheduled for Thursday, February 1 at 7:30 PM.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
