Pittsburg, Kan. - The Missouri Southern men's basketball team was back in action for the first time since December 16, taking on the red hot Gorillas of Pittsburg State Saturday afternoon. Kicking off the new year in fashion, the Lions took down the Gorillas 81-74 to end PSU's five-game win streak. With the win, MSSU improves to 5-8 (3-4 MIAA) on the year.
Vinson Sigmon Jr. opened the scoring in the contest with a jumper.
Darius Dawson and
Parker Long got in on the scoring early also, as the Lions jumped out to a 10-2 lead. After the Gorillas scored a basket, Dawson made a layup, followed by a three. PSU responded back a bit, as the score read 23-16 at the halfway point of the first period.
The Gorillas went on a streak of their own, erasing the Lion lead and taking a two-point lead with 7:09 on the clock.
Darius Dawson had a big response, draining a shot from beyond the arc, and following with an and-one play to make it a four-point Southern lead once again. Things were quiet for a couple of minutes, but PSU then broke the scoreless streak and Dawson again recorded a basket. Before the end of the period,
Cam Williams hit a jumper and Dawson made a pair of free throws, but the Gorillas cashed in on three free throws as well, making it 38-37 MSSU at the break.
Picking up where he left off,
Darius Dawson scored the first points of the second half. The Gorillas responded, then
Sam Thompson threw down a dunk from
Avery Taggart. A few minutes into the period, the Gorillas found some momentum and took a two-point lead. The teams went back and forth for a few minutes, when
Lawson Jenkins hit a three to make it a five-point Southern lead at the 11:52 mark.
Just after the midway point of the second half,
Avery Taggart made a free throw to extend Southern's lead to six. The hosts fought back and once again regained the lead with 6:00 left on the clock. Shortly after,
Cam Williams made a jumper and
Lawson Jenkins made a layup. After PSU got within two points under two minutes,
Vinson Sigmon Jr. hit a huge three with 1:28 left to extend the Lion lead to five. Following a Gorilla score,
Cam Williams made a three-point play of his own, perfectly reading the shot for a putback layup, followed by a made free throw. He then made a pair of free throws, as did
Lawson Jenkins, making it a 10-point game with 25 seconds left. PSU hit a three and the teams exchanged a free throw in the final seconds, making it an 81-74 final in favor of MSSU.
Darius Dawson dropped 21 points in the first half, recording a game-high 25 points on the afternoon. He was a perfect 7-7 from the free throw line and had 6 rebounds and 2 blocks as well.
Cam Williams was also in the 20+ category, scoring his highest in the Green and Gold with 23 points. He went 7-15 from the field and 8-9 from the free throw line.
Lawson Jenkins had an efficient game, scoring 12 points in 11 minutes on 4-5 shooting from the field.
Vinson Sigmon Jr. also hit double digits with 11 points, grabbing 5 rebounds and dishing 2 assists in the win.
The Lions will return to Joplin for a home series, taking on the Fort Hays State Tigers on Thursday, January 11 and the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Saturday, January 13.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
