JOPLIN, Mo. — Missouri Southern State (1-0) defeated Cottey College (0-1) 111-35 Monday, highlighted by a 16-0 first-quarter run that took the score from 12-8 to 28-8. Missouri Southern forced 36 turnovers, recorded 25 steals and scored 47 points off turnovers. It also finished with a 50-19 rebounding advantage, 63 bench points and a 54-12 edge in points in the paint.
Missouri Southern welcomed more than 500 students from local schools for Elementary Day at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center, bringing an energetic atmosphere to the Lions' season opener. Students from Eugene Field Elementary, Webb City Middle School, Soaring Heights Elementary and Martin Luther School joined the crowd to cheer on the Lions.
MSSU is 1-0 overall. Cottey is 0-1 overall.
Ashlyn Alloway scored a team-high 14 points, going 7 of 12 from the field, and added three steals. Makenna Yokley finished with 12 points, three assists and three steals without a turnover. Nariah Clay added 11 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Macee Matthews posted 10 points and six rebounds while converting all four free throws. Grace Frazier also surpassed 700 career points during the victory.
The Lions broke open the first quarter with a 16-0 closing run after Cottey got within 12-8, holding the Comets scoreless the rest of the quarter and taking a 28-8 lead. Earlier, Clay opened the scoring with a layup, Yokley added two free throws and Alloway turned a steal into a fast-break layup as Southern built an 8-3 start. Cottey answered with two 3-pointers and a jumper to stay within four, but MSSU kept creating offense from pressure, finishing the quarter with seven steals, 12 forced turnovers and 18 points off turnovers. Hattie Pyle started the late run with a jumper at 5:44, and Camryn Smith, Sy'Rae Stemmons, Grace Frazier and Yokley added baskets as Missouri Southern scored 24 points in the paint and closed the quarter ahead by 20.
To start, Clay scored five straight MSSU points with a 3-pointer and a jumper, and Frazier added two free throws as the Lions pushed its lead to 35-13. Alloway converted a steal into a fast-break layup, then added another basket during the late stretch, while Jayla Yonkers helped extend possessions with offensive rebounds before scoring inside and hitting a 3-pointer in the final seconds. Missouri Southern forced 10 Cottey turnovers in the quarter, recorded seven steals and grabbed nine offensive rebounds while outscoring Cottey 18-10 in the quarter. Southern closed the second quarter by holding Cottey without a point after the 4:03 mark and scoring the final nine points to take a 46-18 lead into halftime.
MSSU paired a 33-8 third quarter with nine steals and 16 points off turnovers, including a 13-0 middle-quarter run and an 8-0 push late. Early in the quarter, Yokley hit a 3-pointer, Alloway finished a fast-break layup off Yokley's assist and Frazier added a 3-pointer to put the Lions ahead 54-18 at 7:46. After Cottey scored at 6:53, Southern answered with a 13-0 run from 6:47 to 4:04, a stretch that included six straight Cottey turnovers from 6:10 to 4:10 and baskets from Alloway, Clay, Smith and Stemmons. Missouri Southern added another 8-0 run from 2:32 to 1:08 behind Savannah James' 3-pointer, Skylar Anderson's two free throws and Samairah Thompson's jumper and free throw. Matthews made two free throws with two seconds left, and MSSU finished the quarter ahead 79-26.
The Lions opened the fourth quarter with Sy'Rae Stemmons' defensive rebound and two free throws, then used a perimeter stretch that included 3-pointers from Matthews, Delaney Roller, Atkinson and James to push the score to 93-30 with 6:21 left. Roller added another 3-pointer at 4:50 off an assist from Stemmons after Stemmons' offensive rebound, and Southern continued to create separation with Matthews' free throws and Skylar Anderson's layup. MSSU shot 10-for-14 in the quarter, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range, and held a 15-4 rebounding advantage while outscoring Cottey 32-9 in the final quarter. Missouri Southern finished the fourth quarter with a 9-0 run over the final 2:51, getting baskets from Savannah James, Samairah Thompson and Matthews before Kayli Atkinson's late free throw closed a 111-35 win.
The Lions will hit the road this weekend for the MIAA/NSIC Challenge in Warrensburg, Mo. Missouri Southern will open play Friday at 8 p.m. against the University of St. Mary before facing Augustana on Saturday at 8 p.m.
