Russellville, Ark. - The Missouri Southern Men's Basketball team opened their season at the MIAA/GAC Crossover taking on the Arkansas Tech University Wonder Boys. The Lions Tyrique Jackson kicked off the season by setting a new career-high with 19 points. The Wonder Boys would have a second-half surge and defeated the Lions 61-56.
Missouri Southern (0-1) | Arkansas Tech (1-0)
Half 1: Missouri Southern 24 | Arkansas Tech 23
Missouri Southern opened their season strong with
Tyriqe Jackson hitting the first three-pointer of the game, quickly followed by
Isaiah Atwater's triple to take a 6-4 lead. The Lions then extended their advantage to 12-4 with layups from
Cortaviaus Seales, Jackson, and
Martin Macenis. Arkansas Tech rallied, closing the gap with an 8-0 run to bring the score within one at 17-16 and later tied it at 20-20.
Missouri Southern regained control in the final moments of the half, with Macenis adding a layup and Jackson making a free throw, allowing the Lions to secure a slim 24-23 lead heading into halftime.
Half 2: Missouri Southern 56 | Arkansas Tech 61
The second half opened with both teams trading baskets in a tightly contested matchup. Arkansas Tech pulled ahead with three straight scores, including back-to-back three-pointers, to take a 45-35 lead. Missouri Southern narrowed the gap to six points after
Tyrique Brooks hit a deep shot and scored in the paint, bringing it to 48-42.
Both teams then held each other scoreless for over two minutes, until the Wonder Boys broke the drought with two made free throws, extending their lead to 55-46. With 2:30 remaining,
Martin Macenis found
Tyrone Wright for a powerful dunk, followed by
Jaden Taylor's fast-break layup, closing the score to 58-52. Moments later, Taylor cut the deficit to just three points at 59-56, but Arkansas Tech held their ground and secured the 61-56 victory.
Missouri Southern Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Tyriqe Jackson – 19
Rebounding Leader: Tyriqe Jackson /
Tyrone Wright – 8
Assist Leader: Tyriqe Jackson /
Martin Macenis – 2
Steal Leader:
Jaden Taylor – 2
Arkansas Tech Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Kade Shaffer – 21
Rebounding Leader: Seybian Sims – 10
Assist Leader: Three Players – 2
Steal Leader: Three Players – 2
Up Next:
The Lions will continue at the MIAA/GAC Crossover on Saturday, November 9 when they take on the Southwestern Oklahoma State University Bulldog. Tip-off is set for 2:00 pm.
-Lions-
