Fort Smith, Ark.– The Missouri Southern Men's Basketball team traveled to take on the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions in a conference matchup. Southern opened with an early run in the first half, and Arkansas-Fort Smith took the lead. The offensive surge in the second half was fueled by
Jaden Taylor,
Jamari Lawrence, and
Tyrone Wright, who recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Arkansas-Fort Smith was able to hold their lead for the win.
Missouri Southern (9-10, 4-6 MIAA) | Arkansas-Fort Smith (8-11, 2-8 MIAA)
Half 1: Missouri Southern 26 | Arkansas-Fort Smith 34
Isaiah Atwater hit the first three-pointer of the night, helping Southern jump out to an early 6-2 lead with contributions from
Tyrique Brooks (free throw) and
Tyrone Wright (layup). At the 13:25 mark, Southern extended their lead to five points, 10-5, following another Atwater three-pointer and an
Ibn Loyal free throw. Arkansas-Fort Smith made a run to trim the deficit to one point, but their momentum was stopped by two clutch free throws from
Jaden Taylor, followed by a jumper from
Justin Duff, pushing the lead to 14-9 with 9:31 remaining.
Arkansas-Fort Smith closed the gap and took the lead with a layup at the 6:19 mark, 17-16. Three-pointers from
Tyriqe Jackson and
Martin Macenis brought Southern within one point, 27-26, with 2:46 remaining. Arkansas-Fort Smith extended their lead to 34-26 heading into halftime.
Half 2: Missouri Southern 57 | Arkansas-Fort Smith 73
Arkansas-Fort Smith opened the second half with a 12-0 run, pushing the score to 46-26.
Tyrone Wright halted the run with a free throw at the 17-minute mark, making it 46-27. Southern answered with an 8-2 run, fueled by layups from
Ibn Loyal and Wright and two jumpers from
Jamari Lawrence, trimming the deficit to 51-35 with 12:00 remaining.
Southern continued to battle with baskets from
Jaden Taylor, Wright, and Lawrence, cutting the score to 64-46 with 6:20 remaining. Their defense held strong, forcing Arkansas-Fort Smith into a shot clock violation. With 3:34 left, a three-pointer from
Martin Macenis brought Southern within 11 points, 67-56. Arkansas-Fort Smith held on for a 73-57 win.
Missouri Southern Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Jaden Taylor - 12
Rebounding Leader: Tyrone Wright - 10
Assist Leader: Isaiah Atwater /
Martin Macenis - 2
Steal Leader: Martin Macenis - 2
Arkansas-Fort Smith Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Roland McCoy - 12
Rebounding Leader: Tommie Williams / D'Ante Bell - 5
Assist Leader: Tommie Williams - 4
Steal Leader: Terell Williams Jr. - 2
Up Next:
The Missouri Southern Men's Basketball team will travel to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on the Northeastern State University Riverhawks in a conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 3:30 PM in Jack Dobbins Field House.
-Lions-
