Edmond, Okla. - The Missouri Southern men's basketball team continued their road trip with a Saturday competition with the Central Oklahoma Bronchos. The teams were neck and neck for most of the game, but the hosts of UCO came out on top, 65-61. With the loss, MSSU drops to 9-12 (7-8 MIAA) on the season.
Central Oklahoma got on the board first, but
Darius Dawson made a pair of free throws to get things going for Missouri Southern. On the next possession,
Parker Long hit a jumper to give MSSU their first lead. UCO then went down and made a three, but
Avery Taggart responded right after with one of his own. At the halfway point of the first half, the Lions were down 14-12.
Shortly past the 10 minute mark,
Lawson Jenkins hit a three to get within two points again. With 4:41 on the clock, UCO stretched their lead to 12, but MSSU hung in there and chipped away at that deficit.
Parker Long and
Darius Dawson each sank two free throws, then
Avery Taggart drained a three, making it 28-24 UCO.
Vinson Sigmon Jr. made the final basket of the half in the final minute, making it 30-27 in favor of the hosts at halftime.
Things were pretty similar at the start of the second half, as the teams were going back and forth. With about 15 minutes left to play,
Winston Dessesow scored a couple of layups to make it a one point game. The Bronchos stretched their lead to seven shortly after, but the Lions again cut it to one with scores from
Parker Long and Dessesow.
At the 9:45 mark, Southern regained the lead as
Martin Macenis completed the physical and-one play. He also scored the next basket to keep the lead with MSSU for a short time. UCO took over once again and went ahead by eight with 3:38 left. A couple minutes later,
Martin Macenis and
Avery Taggart made jumpers to cut into that deficit. After some UCO free throws, Taggart nailed a three and
Winston Dessesow hit a jumper to trail just 63-61 with under a minute left. The only points scored after were a couple of UCO free throws, making it a 65-61 final.
Avery Taggart led the team with 15 points, making 3 shots from beyond the arc.
Martin Macenis went 5-8 from the field for 13 points, grabbing 5 rebounds as well.
Vinson Sigmon Jr. led the team in rebounds (7), steals (3), and assists (2).
The team returns home for a pair of contests at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. First, the Lions will host the Lincoln Blue Tigers on Thursday, February 8 at 7:30pm.
The Missouri Southern men's basketball season is presented by Arvest Bank, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
