Tahlequah, Okla.– The Missouri Southern Men's Basketball team traveled to take on the Northeastern State University Riverhawks in a conference matchup. The game kicked off with a back-and-forth battle for the lead, featuring key contributions from
Martin Macenis,
Tyrique Brooks, and
Jaden Taylor. A late push from the Riverhawks allowed them to take control in the final seconds, securing a 94-93 win.
Missouri Southern (9-11, 4-7 MIAA) | Northeastern State (13-7,7-4MIAA)
Half 1: Missouri Southern 43 | Northeastern State 40
Jaden Taylor knocked down the first basket of the night with a three-pointer. The lead exchanged hands several times, fueled by key plays from
Tyrique Brooks,
Martin Macenis, and Taylor. At the 15-minute mark, the Riverhawks took a one-point lead, and
Tyrone Wright quickly answered with a jumper, followed by another from Taylor to put the Lions up 16-13. A three-pointer from Northeastern tied the game at 16-16 with 13:13 remaining on the clock.
A jumper by Taylor sparked an 8-0 Southern run, with key jumpers from Macenis (four points) and Brooks (two points), giving Southern a 24-16 lead with 10:27 remaining. The Riverhawks answered with a basket, and
Tyriqe Jackson countered quickly, followed by a basket from Macenis. Northeastern State chipped away at their deficit, cutting it to one point, 34-33, with 4:40 remaining.
Jamari Lawrence drained a three-pointer to halt their momentum. Macenis and Taylor combined for four points, pushing Southern's lead to 43-40 as they headed into halftime.
Half 2: Missouri Southern 93 | Northeastern State 94
Southern would add an eight-point lead within the first three minutes of the second half, with baskets from
Martin Macenis (four points),
Isaiah Atwater (three points), and
Tyrique Brooks (three points), 56-48. Northeastern State answered with five points to close the gap to 56-53, then followed with an 8-3 rally to take a two-point lead, 64-62, with 12:33 remaining. Macenis halted their momentum with a layup; then Brooks hit a three-pointer, followed by another three-pointer from Macenis to help regain the lead, 70-64, with 11:18 remaining.
Tyriqe Jackson and Brooks each scored a basket to keep the Riverhawks down by six point, 79-73. The Lions extended their lead with a three-pointer from Brooks and a layup from Macenis, pushing it to 84-73 with 3:40 remaining. In the game's final moments, Northeastern State took a one-point lead and held on for a 94-93 win.
Missouri Southern Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Martin Macenis - 27
Rebounding Leader: Tyrone Wright - 11
Assist Leader:
Jaden Taylor - 7
Steal Leader: Martin Macenis /
Jaden Taylor /
Tyrique Brooks - 1
Northeastern State Leaders:
Scoring Leader: Trey Phipps - 23
Rebounding Leader: Ethan Blackmon – 8
Assist Leader: Bryson Smith - 7
Steal Leader: Trey Phipps / Jaxon Jones - 3
Up Next:
The Missouri Southern Men's Basketball team will be back on their home court on Thursday, February 6 when they host the Newman University Jets. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
-Lions-
