Maryville, Mo. – The Missouri Southern Men's Basketball team traveled to take on the Northwest Missouri State University Bearcats on Thursday, February 13, in a conference matchup. Missouri Southern battled in a back-and-forth contest, holding a narrow 36-35 lead at halftime after an early run and clutch plays from
Tyriqe Jackson and
Martin Macenis.
Jaden Taylor sealed the victory with a game-winning shot in the final seconds, lifting the Lions to a dramatic 69-67 win over Northwest Missouri State.
Missouri Southern (11-12,6-8 MIAA) vs. Northwest Missouri State (4-19,2-12 MIAA)
1st Half: Missouri Southern 36 | Northwest Missouri State 35
The Lions went on an early 8-2 run, taking a six-point lead with key contributions from
Tyrique Brooks (two points),
Jaden Taylor (four points), and
Martin Macenis (two points) with 14:28 remaining. Southern extended its lead with baskets from
Justin Duff (three points) and
Tyriqe Jackson (four points), going up 18-13 at the 9:04 mark.
Northwest Missouri State chipped away at the deficit and briefly took the lead, 25-24. Jackson halted their momentum with a clutch three-pointer, putting Southern back on top, 27-25, with 4:44 left. The Bearcats hit a last-second shot to cut the gap, but the Lions held a slim one-point advantage at halftime, 36-35.
2nd Half: Missouri Southern 69 | Northwest Missouri State 67
The Bearcats opened the second half with a layup, but
Jaden Taylor quickly answered with a three-pointer.
Tyrique Brooks followed with a layup, giving the Lions a four-point lead with 18:23 remaining. Northwest Missouri State closed the gap to one point before
Tyriqe Jackson sank a pair of free throws, extending Southern's lead to 59-56 with 7:25 left. The Bearcats reclaimed the lead with 5:09 on the clock with a layup, 60-59.
Martin Macenis delivered back-to-back baskets to tie the game at 65-65 with 1:11 remaining. Moments later, he struck again to even it at 67-67 with 40 seconds left. With just three seconds on the clock, Taylor sank the game-winner, lifting the Lions to a thrilling 69-67 victory.
Missouri Southern Leaders:
Points: Jaden Taylor - 21
Rebounds: Martin Macenis - 12
Assists: Jaden Taylor - 3
Steals: Tyrone Wright - 4
Blocks: Tyriqe Jackson - 2
Northwest Missouri State Leaders:
Points: Emorie Knox - 15
Rebounds: Trey Moala – 8
Assists: Emorie Knox – 9
Steals: Emorie Knox / Trey Moala - 2
Blocks: Trey Moala – 2
Up Next:
The Lions will be on the road on Saturday, February 15, when they take on the Missouri Western State University Griffons in a conference matchup. Tip-off is set for 3:30 PM in St. Joseph, Mo., at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
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