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MSSU women win berth in MIAA Tournament

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 The Missouri Southern women's basketball team overcame a three-point halftime deficit and used three players in double figures to down the Lindenwood Lady Lions 71-61 this evening at Hyland Arena as they secured a top four finish in the MIAA and earned a berth to Kansas City for next week's MIAA Tournament.

The Lions (18-7, 12-6 MIAA) were led in scoring by Alexis Fitzpatrick as she led the way with 18 points finishing 4-for-9 from the floor and 8-for-10 from the free throw line. Sharese Jones added 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Shonte Clay chipped in 11 points. Dominique Mosley and Nicole Hartzog also added eight points each. The Lions shot nearly 50% from the field as they finished the evening 23-for-49 (.469) while hitting 22-for-28 (.786) from the free throw line.

The Lady Lions (14-12, 9-10) were led in scoring by Kassidy Gengenbacher who scored 26 points on 8-for-11 shooting from the field, while hitting 4-for-5 from beyond the arc and went a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Morgan Johnson added 10 points while Caroline Bourlioux chipped in six points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

After the first nearly nine minutes of play saw the game start off very evenly as it was tied at 12, Lindenwood took its first lead of the game going on a 6-0 run to take a 18-12 lead halfway through the first half. The Lady Lions continued to lead by five with three and minutes to play in the, but a layup by Hartzog cut it to three. The home team responded by knocking down four straight free throw to open up a 29-22 lead with 2:25 to play, but it was all Southern the rest of the half as they ended the half with a layup by Hartzog and a jumper from Clay to go in the locker room down three trailing 29-26.

The Lady Lions continued to lead by four (32-28) after the first three minutes of the second half, but four straight points from the St. Charles native Jones tied the game at 32 apiece as Jones with 15:56 to play in the second half. Looking to pull away after taking the lead for good on a jumper by Fitzpatrick, the Lady Lions held tough over the next eight plus minutes never trailing by more than four until the Lions went on a 10-4 run to open up a 55-48 lead with 5:38 to go. Responding to a three-pointer by LWU that brought them within one at 45-44, the Lions reeled off eight straight points getting a pair of three-pointers from Shawnee Phillips and Fitzpatrick along with a layup from Phillips.

Southern was in the driver's seat from there as they went 8-for-10 from the free throw line in the final 90 seconds to secure the victory and a berth to Kansas City. The Lions outrebounded Lindenwood 35-22 improving to 16-4 on the year when they outrebound their opponents.

Southern wraps up the regular season on Saturday when they travel to Jefferson City to face the Lincoln Blue Tigers (5-20, 2-16) at 1:30 p.m. from Jason Gym.

Magee's double-double paces Lions' 90-74 win over Lindenwood

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 Slim Magee and Austin Wright led four Missouri Southern players in double figures tonight as the Lions powered their way past Lindenwood 90-74 at Hyland Arena for their fifth straight victory.

Securing a career-high 18 rebounds to go along with 17 points for the double-double, Magee was a force on the glass all night for the Lions (20-5, 14-4 MIAA). Wright led the scoring charge with 23 points hitting 6-of-8 from three-point range. Marquis Addison chipped in 14 and Cameron Cornelius added 12. Jordan Talbert andLane Barlow each added seven points apiece as Talbert now sits only seven points shy of 1,000 for his career. Addison's 14 points now give him 1,534 for his career as he currently sits in sixth place as he passed Chris Tucker and Keane Thomann tonight.

Lindenwood (11-18, 6-13) was led in scoring by the duo of Tyler Ressel and Garrett Reeg as each finished with 16 points while Reeg added a team-high nine rebounds. Darris Smith added 15 points and six assists.

The first half saw both teams play very evenly as the game was tied at 20 with 11:35 to play in the first half. From that point on, it was all Lions as they went on a 9-0 run to open up a 29-20 lead and expanded it to 49-32 at the break. That 9-0 run featured a three-pointer from Wright, a layup from Blaine Miller, a pair of free throws from Greg Renfroe and a layup from Slim. Southern finished the half shooting 45% (18-40) from the field and 7-for-13 (.538) from three-point range.

The second half was much of the same as the Lions continued to shoot the ball well hitting 50% (16-32) from the field in the final twenty minutes. They opened up the half on a 12-4 run to take their largest lead of the game at 61-36 with 14:25 to play in the game. After a three-pointer from Ressel cut the Southern's lead to 15 at 69-54 10:40 to go, back-to-back three pointers from Wright along with a free throw got Southern's lead back over 20 as they cruised to the victory from there.

For the game, Southern shot 47.2% (34-72) from the field, 47.6% (10-21) from three-point range and went 12-for-18 from the free throw line. Outrebounding Lindenwood 43-31, Southern had 18 offensive boards to go along with 17 assists led by Matt Everson with six.

The Lions wrap up the regular season at Lincoln (3-23, 1-17) on Saturday traveling to Jefferson City to face the Blue Tigers at 3:30 p.m. from Jason Gym.

Reese one-hitter highlights MSSU doubleheader sweep

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 Behind a one-hit shutout from senior pitcher David Reese in game one and 19 hits in game two, the Missouri Southern Lions baseball team improved to 10-0 on the year as they collected 30 hits and scored 19 runs winning game one 8-0 in seven innings and taking game two 11-7 in nine innings.

The Lions (10-0, 6-0 MIAA) got the scoring started early in game one tacking on a run in the first as second baseman Jared Lupo hit a leadoff double to left field. After catcher Mitchell Osburn reached on an error by the pitcher moving Lupo to third, center fielder Logan Moon drove Lupo in on a fielder's choice as Osburn moved to second. After adding a run in the second off a Lupo sacrifice fly that plated right fielder Robbe Ewing from third, Southern made it a 4-0 game in the third when they added two more runs as third baseman Brandon Weller doubled to left center driving in designated hitter Tee Helsel. Ewing followed with a single to left field plating Weller from second.

After Resse struck out the side in the fifth and sent down the order again in the sixth, the Lions added four runs for good measure in the bottom of the sixth to take a commanding 8-0 lead. Southern got the scoring action started with left fielder Beau Phillips leading off the inning with a single up the middle. After shortstop Austin White laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Phillips to second, Lupo followed with a single to center putting runners on the corners for Osburn who singled through the left side driving in Phillips. Moon followed with a sacrifice fly to right field driving in Lupo and after first baseman Dusty Harper walked to put runners on first and second, Helsel singled through the right side driving in Osburn. Southern rounded out the scoring on a Weller single to right field driving in pinch-runner Nathan Skaggs from second.

Resse closed out the game getting Fort Hays State (3-6, 2-4) to ground out, fly out and strike out to pick up third win of the season as he struck out nine batters and lowered his ERA to 1.59.

The Lions picked up right where they left off in game two scoring four runs in the first to take a 4-1 lead. Southern got RBI's from Helsel, Weller and a two-run single to left by Harper. They added three more runs in the third off a RBI triple by Weller down the left field line that scored Helsel and then a two-run shot to left field by Ewing that drove in Weller to make it a 7-1 contest.

After Hays scored a run in the fourth on a sacrifice fly, the Lions responded with four more runs in the fifth scoring to take a 11-2 advantage scoring two runs on a single by White, adding a RBI single to right from Moon and then scoring one final run RBI from Helsel off a single up the middle.

Hays added two runs in the sixth and then three more in the eighth to close the game to 11-7, but that would be as close as they got as senior Stephen Vaughn came on to work a perfect ninth inning striking out a pair of Tigers. Sophomore Payton Walker also picked up his third win as he threw six innings, allowed four earned runs and struck out eight while not surrendering a walk.  

The two teams return to action tomorrow playing a doubleheader at Joe Becker Stadium starting at 1 p.m.

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MSSU women look to clinch berth in MIAA Tournament tonight

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 Looking to clinch a top four spot in the MIAA and a berth to Kansas City for the MIAA Tournament next week, the Missouri Southern women's basketball team travels to St. Charles on Thursday to take on the Lindenwood Lady Lions at 5:30 p.m. at Hyland Arena.

Game Information

Teams: Missouri Southern Lions (17-7, 11-6 MIAA) vs. Lindenwood Lady Lions (14-11, 9-9)
Date: Thursday, Feb. 27, 2014
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m., CT
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Site: Hyland Arena (3,000)
Series Record: MSSU leads 5-0 (Home: 3-0, Away: 2-0)
Coaches: Ronda Hubbard (17-7 at MSSU, overall). Tony Francis (56-53 at Lindenwood, overall).

Media Coverage

MSSU Radio: KZYM-AM 1230 The Talker, Mike McClure, Play-by-Play
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/lindenwood/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.americaonesports.com/partner_members.asp?id=293
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/missourisouthernlions
Lions on Twitter: @mososports

Last time out for the Lions (17-7, 11-6 MIAA): Despite four players in double figures, the Missouri Southern Lions women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 71-68 defeat this afternoon to Pittsburg State on Senior Day at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

The Lions were led in scoring for the second consecutive game by Dominique Mosley, who continues her February tear as she registered 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line. She also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to notch her sixth double-double of the year. Nicole Hartzog added 12 points and eight rebounds while the pair of Sharese Jones and Shawnee Phillips chipped in 11 points each.

Holding a 38-36 lead at halftime, the Lions started the second half strong on an 11-4 run taking their largest lead of the game at 49-40 with 16:20 to play. After a Lizzy Jeronimus jumper stopped the run, PSU responded with a 11-3 run of their own to re-take the lead at 53-52 with 12:20 remaining in the second half. Unable to wrestle the lead away from the Gorillas the rest of the afternoon, the Lions continued to claw and battle staying within earshot of PSU until the visitors from Kansas went on a 8-0 run over a 2:08 span to open up a 65-55 lead with 5:35 to play.

The Lions did not go away quietly as Phillips hit a layup and a free throw and Clay hit a layup of her own to close the gap to 65-60, but a layup by Jeronimus made the game 70-62 with 1:31 to play. After Phillips hit a three-pointer and Mosley hit three free throws over the next 75 seconds to close the game to within two at 70-68 with 16 ticks remaining, the Gorillas hit one final free throw and Jones missed a last second layup as the Southern dropped a hard-fought game.

Last time out for Lindenwood (14-11, 9-9): After clinching a berth in the MIAA Tournament Wednesday, the Lindenwood women's basketball team took its improbable season another step forward. It took all 40 minutes for the Lady Lions to beat Lincoln University 63-56 Saturday (Feb. 22) at Hyland Arena. Lincoln, which fell to 5-20, 2-16, was a thorn in the Lady Lions' paw in both games this season despite being in last place in the conference. The Blue Tigers beat the Lady Lions 67-58 Feb. 6 in Jefferson City and looked determined to pull off another upset. The Lady Lions led 5-4 with 16 minutes 36 seconds left in the first half, but didn't regain the lead until freshman Kassidy Gengenbacher sank a three-point shot with 15:10 left in the game.

The game went back and forth from there. Gengenbacher and sophomore guard Jenny Rocha led the Lady Lions with 17 points apiece. Gengenbacher's season scoring average climbed to 15 points per game. Senior Caroline Bourlioux matched her season average with 12 points.The Lady Lions have been blistering the goal from the field in their past four games but shot just 30.8 percent in the first half. They shot a whopping 59.1 percent in the second half as they charged from behind.

The Coaches: Ronda Hubbard (17-7) is in her 13th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and was promoted to the position of Interim Head Coach on July 2, 2013 after the retirement of Maryann Mitts. During her 12 years with the Lions, she has helped the team to a 189-145 record, including winning marks and a trip to the MIAA post season tournament in all by one of those 12 seasons.

Tony Francis (56-53) is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Lindenwood women's and enter tonight's game with a 56-53 overall record. Francis turned the women's basketball program around in his first season and is now leading the program as it transitions to the NCAA Division II level. Francis took over a Lindenwood program in 2010-11 that had not had a winning season in nine years and promptly had one of the top turnarounds in the NAIA. Lindenwood went from nine wins to 21, finished second in the HAAC with a 15-5 record, and just missed a NAIA Division I Tournament bid by one spot. Three Lady Lions were named to the All-HAAC squad and Morgan Harrington was named to the NAIA All-American team.

The series between the two schools: The Lions lead the overall series with Lindenwood 5-0 winning this year's previous matchup 72-61 at home over the Lady Lions. Clay led Southern with 19 points while Phillips chipped in 15 points. Southern won last year's game in St. Charles 78-74 as all five starters for the Lions finished in double figures. Southern is 3-0 at home and 2-0 on the road.

Scouting the Lady Lions: The Lindenwood women enter Thursday's game sitting in seventh place in the MIAA and having clinched a berth in the MIAA Tournament. As a team, they rank 1st in field goald percentage, 4th in the MIAA in scoring offense & free throw percentage and 6th in rebounding defense and assists. The Lady Lions are currently led in scoring by freshman guard Kassidy Gengenbacher, who ranks 7th in the league averaging 15 points per game, while senior forward Caroline Bourlioux checks in 19th at 12.0 ppg. Bourlioux leads the team in rebounds while Gengenbacher leads the league in 3-point field goal percentage shooting nearly 43% from beyond the arc.

Mosley continues February tear: Since the calendar changed to February, senior forward Dominique Mosley has been on a tear offensively averaging 18.0 points per game and averaging 8.3 boards per contest. She registered her sixth double-double on Saturday against Pittsburg State scoring 21 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. On the season, Mosley is leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks averaging 15.7, 7.3 and 0.8 blocks. In MIAA contests, she is averaging 14.4 ppg. and 6.8 rpg.

Lions are tough when: The Lions have found much success this year when they have an advantage in rebounding (14-4), outshoot opponents in field goal percentage (14-3), have more assists (15-2) and have more steals (14-2), lead at halftime (11-4), make more free throws (11-3), have fewer turnovers (11-2) and score 80+ points (8-0).

Lions in the regional rankings: Southern was ranked ninth in the first Central Regional Poll released last Wednesday (Feb. 19). MIAA members Emporia State checked in first, followed by fellow conference members Central Missouri in third, Pittsburg State in sixth and Fort Hays State in 10th. With the top eight teams qualifying for the NCAA Tournament, the next poll will be released   this afternoon (Feb. 26).

With a win over Lindenwood: A win over Lindenwood on Thursday, the Lions clinch a berth in Kansas City as one of the top four teams in the MIAA and will await a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday, March 6 at Municipal Auditorium.

MIAA Team Rankings: The Lions rank 1st in the MIAA in rebounding defense (33.0 rpg.), 2nd in FG percentage (.457) & free-throw percentage (.746), 3rd in 3-point FG perc. (.328) & assists (15.2), 4th in steals (8.8 spg), 5th in scoring offense (72.8), reb. margin (+3.4) and scoring margin (+6.9).

MIAA Individual Rankings: Shonte Clay is 4th in the MIAA in FG percentage as she is shooting 54.4% from the field hitting 106-195. Sharese Jones is 5th at 53.8% (99-184). Dominique Mosley ranks 8th hitting 50.5% (141-279).

Samantha Soyez is 5th in the MIAA in assists averaging 3.8 apg as she has dished 88 helpers in 23 games.Alexis Fitzpatrick is 6th averaging 3.8 assists per game.                 Jones ranks 3rd in the MIAA in FT percentage at 80.1% (121-151). Mosley is 6th at 76.6% (95-124). Nicole Hartzog is 7th at 75.0% (69-92).

Fitzpartick leads the MIAA in steals averaging 2.4 swipes per game. She is 5th in the MIAA in minutes played averging 31.8 mpg. Hartzog is 2nd in steals with 2.0 spg.

Mosley ranks 5th in the MIAA in scoring averaging 15.7 ppg.  Jones is 12th at 13.8 ppg. Clay is 23rd with 11.3 ppg. Hartzog is 26th at 10.8 ppg.

Mosley is 10th in boards grabbing 7.3 rpg. Jones is 17th with 6.4 rpg.

National Rankings: The Lions rank 20th in the nation in field goal percentage shooting 45.7% from the field. They check in 46th in free throw percentage hitting 74.6% from the line, while they are 54th in assists per game with 15.2, 63rd in scoring margin (+6.9) and 64th in rebounding margin (+3.7). Individually, Fitzpatrick ranks 53rd in steals (2.38) and Mosley is 56th (50.5) in the country in field goal percentage. Fitzpatrick ranks 78th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.60).

MSSU men to play at Lindenwood tonight

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 The Missouri Southern men's basketball team rounds down the regular season as the Lions will travel to Lindenwood University on Thursday for the second-to-last game of the regular season. Tip off from St. Charles is slated for 7:30 pm from Hyland Arena. 

Game Information

Teams:      Missouri Southern (18-5/12-4 MIAA) @ Lindenwood (11-17, 6-12 MIAA)
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2014
Tip-Off: 7:30 pm
Location: St. Charles, Mo.
Site: Hyland Arena (3,000)
Series Record: Series tied 1-1
Coaches: Robert Corn (407-304 overall/at MSSU). Brad Soderberg (321-191, overall, 110-45 at LWU)

Media Coverage

MSSU Radio: 97.9 FM Big Dog - Mike McClure - Play by Play
Internet Audio: www.mssulions.com
Webcast: www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: livestats.prestosports.com/mssu
Lions on Facebook:  Facebook.com/missourisouthernlions
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mssumensbball

The Series: This is only the third meeting ever between the two schools. The two teams have split the previous two meetings with Lindenwood winning in St. Charles in 2013 and the Lions returning the favor this year in the first game at Joplin. 

MIAA Team Ranks: The Lions lead the MIAA in scoring, scoring margin, rebounding margin, rebounding offense, field goal percentage, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and offensive rebound percentage. Southern ranks second in three point percentage, while ranking third in steals, rebounding defense and scoring defense. The team ranks fourth in free-throw shooting, field goal defense and assists, while ranking fifth in turnover margin. 

MIAA Individual Ranks: Marquis Addison ranks 8th in the MIAA in scoring, while ranking 12th in field goal percentage, sixth in free-throw shooting and fourth in steals. Jordan Talbert is fourth in rebounding and blocks and 29th in scoring, while ranking fourth in offensive rebounds. Slim Magee leads the league in field goal percentage, while ranking 11th in rebounding and third in blocks. Lane Barlow ranks ninth in assists, 12th in steals and 13th in assist/turnover ratio, while Austin Wright ranks third in three point shooting and ninth in three's per game. 

National Ranks: The Lions, as a team, rank sixth in field goal percentage, ninth in scoring margin, and 12th in both scoring offense and free-throws made. They rank 16th in blocks per game, 21st in free-throw attempts and 23rd in three point percentage. Southern ranks 24th in total blocks and rebound margin, while ranking 33rd in win-loss percentage and 37th in assists per game. 

Passing 1,000: Marquis Addison became the newest member of the 1,000 point club at MSSU with 20 points against Central Missouri last season. He currently has 1,520 points, tying him with Chris Tucker for 7th all-time and he is three behind Keane Thomann for sixth all-time. He is the fourth Lion in the past three seasons to pass 1,000, joining Jason Adams, Skyler Bowlin and Thomann.       

Moving Up: With his first steal at SBU, Marquis Addison moved into rare company as one of only four players to ever play at MSSU with 200 or more steals. He currently sits in fourth place all-time in career steals with 217, 41 behind Hiram Ocasio for third place. 

Nearing 1,000: Jordan Talbert comes into the Lindenwood game with 986 career points, needing 14 to hit the 1,000 point mark.

Career Numbers: Both Jordan Talbert and Marquis Addison are climbing the career lists in MSSU Basketball history. Addison sits at No. 7 in the career scoring list, No. 2 in career free-throw percentage and No. 4 in steals. Talbert ranks second in career blocks, and third in career rebounds. His 61 blocks last season are No. 1 on the all-time list, while Slim Magee's .649 field goal percentage is on target to break that mark this season.  

Corn Wins No. 400: Coach Robert Corn won his 400th career game on Jan. 15, 2014 in a 70-50 win at home over Lindenwood He now has 407 wins and is second among active coaches (Bob Chipman). 

Three Point Streak: The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 46-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.  

Three Point Galore: Southern hit 15 three pointers against Southwest Baptist, tying a school record. The team shot 71.4 percent from beyond the arc, just missing the record for three-point field goal percentage in a game.

Big Time Scoring: The Lions have scored 90 points in 11 games this season and have had ten different games where they have won by 20 or more points. 

Up Next: The Lions finish out the regular season with a road trip to Jefferson City to take on Lincoln University.

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MSSU's Marquis Addison named MIAA Basketball Player of the Week

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Missouri Southern senior guard Marquis Addison has been named the MIAA Men's Basketball Player of the Week as announced by the league office today. 

Addison, a 6-4 native of Olathe, Kan., helped the Lions to two wins last week as Southern won 113-83 against SBU and 110-90 over PSU.

In the SBU game, Addison scored 33 points and had three rebounds, shooting 12-16 from the field, 4-5 from three point range and 5-7 from the free-throw line. He added four assists, and a steal and also helped the Lions tie a school record with 15 made three's in the game.

Against Pitt, Addison scored 17 points and had nine rebounds, while adding three assists and four steals. For the week, he averaged 25 points, six rebounds, 3.5 assists, 2.5 steals and shot 56 percent from the field, 63 percent from three point range and 75 percent from the free-throw line.

Addison and the Lions will wind down the regular-season this week with road games at Lindenwood and Lincoln. 

MSSU softball splits doubleheader with Drury

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern Lions softball team split a doubleheader at Drury University this afternoon falling 5-3 in game one before prevailing 6-3 in game two.

The afternoon saw a pair of Lions (4-6) have great days from the plate offensively as seniors Chloe Brown andDawn Grass both hit the ball around the yard. Brown collected four hits in her five at-bats smacking a double and home run, her second of the year, while driving in three runs. Grass went 4-for-7 with two doubles and a pair of RBI's. Three other Lions also had multi-hit games as Southern tallied 19  as a team in the two games.

In the first game, the Lions threatened right away in the top of the first as they had runners on the corner with two-outs, but were unable to get a run. After getting two more hits, but no runs in the second, the Lady Panthers (3-11) struck the scoreboard first as they plated a pair of runs on a RBI triple to right field. After a scoreless third, the Lions finally crossed the plate in the fourth as they cut DU's lead in half as Brown sent a solo shot to left field.

Responding to the Lions score, Drury tacked on three more runs in the bottom half of the inning on a pair of singles to take a 5-1 lead. Southern responded with a pair of runs in the fifth as catcher Kathryn Goins led off the inning with a solo homer to left field. After a single by Alana Hester chased Drury's starter from the game, Hester came around to score on a RBI double by Grass. With runners on second and third with one out, the Lions looked to cash in on more runs, but a pair of groundouts ended the threat as they only got one more hit in the final two innings falling by a final of 5-3. Haley Kinnison took the loss in game one pitching 3.2 innings striking out four before being relieved by the duo of Shelby Mitchell and Sarah Williams, with the latter retiring all five batters she faced.

The second game of the doubleheader saw the Lions have more success as they jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first as Hester and Michala Wood scored runs for Southern. Tagging on two more in the third thanks to a two-run RBI single up the middle by Brown that drove in Grass and Kinnison, the Lions held a 4-0 lead after three innings. After adding a run in the fourth on a Grass sacrifice fly that plated Brooklyn Farrell from third, Drury got on the board with an unearned run in the fifth. The Lions responded with a single run of their own in the sixth as Hester scored her third run of the day leading off the inning with a single, stealing second and third and then coming around to score on a sacrifice fly by Wood.

Drury added two runs in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI double to make it a 6-3 game, but starting pitcher Williams completed her second complete game in as many days retiring the final two batters in the seventh to pick up her second win of the year as she only allowed five hits and struck out five. 

Southern returns to action on Friday as they host the Teri Mathis Zenner Memorial Tournament at the Joplin Athletic Complex (3301 West 1st Street) starting with the first game at 3:30 p.m. against Sioux Falls. The tournament will also run on Saturday and Sunday as it will feature 18 teams playing 40 games with action going on four different fields on Saturday and Sunday.

MSSU baseball improves to 8-0 with doubleheader sweep

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern baseball team improved to 8-0 on the season as the Lions completed the four-game sweep at Lincoln today, winning by the scores of 12-1 and 9-1. 

Southern (8-0, 4-0 MIAA) saw another two stellar pitching performances as Skylar Hill (1-0) got the win in game one and Drew Noble moved to 2-0 with the win in game two. 

Game one was scoreless until the third when Jared Lupo drove in Evin Natick for the first run of the game. The Lions added three in the fourth when Logan Moon started the inning off with a single. He was sacrificed over and then scored on an RBI single from Robbe Ewing. Ewing scored on a wild pitch and then Brandon Weller scored on a sacrifice bunt from Natick. 

The Lions added six runs in the fifth to put the game away. Dusty Harper, Ewing, Weller, Natick and Austin Whitehad RBIs in the inning. Southern added two more runs in the seventh on an RBI single from Lupo. 

Lupo went 2-5 in the game with three driven in and a run scored. Moon went 3-5 with a pair of runs, while Ewing, Weller, and Nattick scored twice each. Hill started on the mound and went five innings, striking out one and allowing just two hits. Josh Engler pitched the final two innings, allowing just one hit. 

Noble started in game two for the Lions and went seven innings, striking out six, while walking just one. He scattered five hits and allowed just one run. Matt Harvey and Nathan Strobel threw in relief and allowed just one hit, while striking out four. 

Lincoln (0-6, 0-4 MIAA) started the scoring in the first when the Blue Tigers picked up an RBI from Craig Jones, scoring James Earlywine.

The Lions answered back with four runs in the third on RBIs from White, Mitchell Osburn and Moon. They got a run in the fifth on a Weller RBI single scoring Osburn and then picked up four more runs in the eighth on RBIs from Ewing, Brett Graham, and Lupo, scoring the final run on a wild pitch. 

Moon went 2-4 with an RBI and a run, while Ewing added two hits and a run and an RBI himself. Nine different Lions scored a run in the game and seven had RBIs. 

Southern returns to action this weekend as the Lions play host to Fort Hays State with a four-game conference series this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Joe Becker Stadium. 

 

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Missouri Southern men win final home game 110-90 over PSU

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's basketball team had seven score in double-figures and the Lions took out visiting Pittsburg State 110-90 in a Sonic Trophy Series matchup in front of a overflow crowd in the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

Southern (19-5, 13-4 MIAA) was led in scoring by 18 points each from Lane Barlow and Austin Wright. Barlow went 5-9 from the field and 6-7 from long range, while dishing out four assists. Wright went 6-7 from the field and 4-5 from long range. Marquis Addison scored 17 points and added nine rebounds, while Greg Renfroe and Jordan Talbert scored 13 each. Cameron Cornelius scored 11 points, while Slim Magee had 10 and three blocks.

The win secures a spot in Kansas City for the Lions in the MIAA Tournament. 

Pitt (7-17, 3-14 MIAA) had five score in double-figures led by 29 points from Devon Branch.

The Gorillas led by one (14-12) after a jumper from Branch with 14:16 left in the first half, but the Lions had an eight point lead (28-20) with 9:16 to go after a three from Talbert. A three-point play from Branch tied the score at 33 with 4:15 to go in the half, and a jumper from Branch tied it again at 37 with 2:55 left, but the Lions went on a 9-2 run to end the half and go in the locker room leading 46-39.

Southern opened the second half on a 15-2 run to break open the game and lead by 20 (61-41) with 16:19 to go in the game. The lead was 26 twice, the last after a three from Barlow with 10:17 left in the game made the score 81-55. The lead was its highest at 34 (96-62) after a three from Talbert.

The Lions shot 57 percent from the field and 56 percent from long range, while making 72 percent of their free-throws. Southern had a 36-26 advantage in the paint and a 39-34 lead on the boards.

Southern will be back in action on Thursday evening when the Lions travel to Lindenwood for a 7:30 pm tipoff from St. Charles.  

MSSU women fall 71-68 to Pitt State

Despite four players in double figures, the Missouri Southern Lions women's basketball team dropped a heartbreaking 71-68 defeat this afternoon to Pittsburg State on Senior Day at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

In seniors Dominique Mosley, Shonte Clay, Tee Singleton and Samantha Soyez's final game at home as Lions, Southern led by two at halftime, but could not hold off a late charge by the Gorillas as they narrowly lost to their rival in this year's Sonic Trophy Series match-up.

The Lions (17-7, 11-6 MIAA) were led in scoring for the second consecutive game by Mosley, who continues her February tear as she registered 21 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the field and went 9-of-10 from the free throw line. She also grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds to notch her sixth double-double of the year. Nicole Hartzogadded 12 points and eight rebounds while the pair of Sharese Jones and Shawnee Phillips chipped in 11 points each.

The Gorillas (21-6, 14-3) were led in scoring by Lizzy Jeronimus with 26 points as the junior from Lenexa, Kan. finished 5-of-13 from the field and 16-of-19 from the free throw line while dishing out six assists. Two other PSU players finished in double figures as Cathy Brugman scored 12 points and Antqunita Reed added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Falling behind 8-2 after only two minutes of play, Southern fought its way with a 11-5 run to knot the game at 13 apiece with 12:44 to play in the first half as it got scores from Clay, Alexis Fitzpatrick, Mosley and Jones. After the Gorillas responded with a 8-0 run to go up 21-13, they continued to hold a seven-point edge with 6:19 to play, until the Lions ended the half on a 13-4 run getting six points from Mosley, five from Phillips and two from Clay to take a 38-36 lead into the halftime break. Both teams shot very evenly in the first half as the Lions shot 42.3% (11-26) from the field and the Gorillas hit 43.3% (13-30).  

Holding an 11-3 record when they lead at halftime, the Lions started the second half strong on an 11-4 run taking their largest lead of the game at 49-40 with 16:20 to play. After a Jeronimus jumper stopped the run, PSU responded with a 11-3 run of their own to re-take the lead at 53-52 with 12:20 remaining in the second half. Unable to wrestle the lead away from the Gorillas the rest of the afternoon, the Lions continued to claw and battle staying within earshot of PSU until the visitors from Kansas went on a 8-0 run over a 2:08 span to open up a 65-55 lead with 5:35 to play.

The Lions did not go away quietly as Phillips hit a layup and a free throw and Clay hit a layup of her own to close the gap to 65-60, but a layup by Jeronimus made the game 70-62 with 1:31 to play. After Phillips hit a three-pointer and Mosley hit three free throws over the next 75 seconds to close the game to within two at 70-68 with 16 ticks remaining, the Gorillas hit one final free throw and Jones missed a last second layup as the Southern dropped a hard-fought game.

Southern finished 21-for-55 (.382) from the field while Pitt State was 23-for-53 (.434). Both teams shot over 50% from three-point range and 75% from the free-throw line. The Lions outrebounded the Gorillas 44-28 as they grabbed 17 offensive boards leading to 11 second chance points.

The Lions return to action on Thursday as they travel to St. Charles to take on the Lindenwood Lady Lions (14-11, 9-9) at 5:30 p.m. at Hyland Arena.

MSSU softball splits with Drury

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

 Behind a three-hit complete game from Sarah Williams, the Missouri Southern Lions softball team split its home opener this afternoon against the visiting Drury Lady Panthers taking game one 4-0 before falling in game two 2-0 at Lea Kungle Field.

The Lions (3-5) were led on the afternoon offensively by Michala Wood and Dawn Grass as the pair each finished 3-for-6 from the plate. Alana Hester, Brooklyn Farrell and Chloe Brown each finished with two hits apiece. Williams and Haley Kinnison each threw complete games as the duo combined to have a 1.00 ERA on the day and struck out seven batters between the two of them.

Missouri Southern 4, Drury 0

With Williams in the circle for the first game, the Lions jumped out to an early 1-0 lead after the first inning as Hester started the game with a lead-off single, swiped second and came around to score on a RBI single to center by Grass. Looking to break the game open in the second, Southern added three more runs to take a 4-0 lead as they chased DU's starting pitcher Caitlin Krebs from the game. Brooke Swadley led off the frame with a double to left field and after stealing third base, scored on a RBI single to center by Brown. After Dru Coleman singled to right moving Brown to second, Kinnison doubled to center field plating Brown and pinch-runner Jessica Castoe.

It was all Williams from there as she sent down Drury in order in the third and the fourth inning. After a error by Southern got a runner on for the Lady Panthers in the fifth, Williams got a strikeout and a groundout to get out the inning. Again retiring the side in order in the sixth, Williams escaped  the seventh as she stranded runners on first and second getting the final two Drury batters to fly out and groundout for her first win of the season as she only allowed three hits and struck out three batters.

Drury 2, Missouri Southern 0

With each team collecting three hits in the first three innings, but having no runs to show for it, the Lady Panthers (2-10) got on the scoreboard for the first time on the afternoon in the top of the fourth inning as they plated a pair of runs on three hits. After a leadoff single to center and a sacrifice bunt, Drury got back-to-back RBI singles as they took a 2-0 lead.

After getting just one single apiece in the fourth and fifth innings, the Lions mounted their biggest threat in the sixth as Grass led off the inning with a single to center. With Rachel Harding pinch-running for Grass, Wood singled to center moving Harding to second. After Drury made a pitching change, Alexah Replogle hit into a fielder's choice to put runners on the corners with one out, but Drury got Swadley to foul out to the catcher andKathryn Goins to groundout ending the frame. The Lions went down in order in the seventh to fall 2-0 in game two. Kinnison pitched a complete game allowing eight hits, two earned runs and struck out four batters.

The two teams return to action on Sunday as they play a double-header in Springfield starting at 1 p.m. from Thompson Field.

MSSU men's track picks up seven provisionals at Nebraska Tune-Up

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's track and field program picked up seven provisionals Friday as the men competed at both the Nebraska Tune-Up and the Central Missouri Classic. 

At Nebraska, Jeff Fraley started things off winning the 60m dash with a provisional time of 6.76. Erron Holley then finished fifth in the 200m with a provisional time of 21.79, while Fraley and Anthony Price placed fifth and ninth in the 400m. Fraley's time of 48.89 is a provisional, giving him a provisional time in the 60m, 200m and now 400m. 

Miles Migliara placed eighth in the 800m with a time of 1:54.46, while Tyler Rush and Andrew Webster placed 10th and 17th in the mile. Colton Wooldridge was tenth in the 3k, while Ryan Jackson was 18th. Eric Schott placed third in the 5k with a provisional time of 14:27.41, while Alex Mason and Adrian Todd placed 8th and 14th. 

Jazz Allen was 10th in the 60m hurdles in a time of 8.43, while the 4x400m relay team of Fraley, Price, Holley and Migliara placed sixth in the event with a time of 3:21.14. Michael Juergens and Brady Melugin both picked up provisionals in the pole vault, finishing 4th an 6th, respectively, while Morgan Hold was 12th. 

Tylor Albright was seventh in the long jump, while Darion Boure placed 11th. Boure picked up a provisional in the triple jump, placing second with a distance of 47-01.75. 

In action at Central Missouri, Bryan Burns was fourth in the shot put with a distance of 47-06.25, while Burns was fourth and Nicklas Polizzi was eighth in the weight throw. 

The Lions will be back in action next weekend as Southern will play host to the 2014 MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships held at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

Video- Coach Haith interview after Missouri loss to Alabama

MSSU women's track picks up five provisionals in Nebraska Tune-Up

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern women's track and field team picked up five provisionals Friday as the Lions competed at the Nebraska Tune-Up on the campus of the University of Nebraska.

Amber White picked up a provisional in the 400m, finishing fourth in a time of 56.17, while Emily Harris picked up a provisional in the 800m, finishing third in a time of 2:15.99. Sydney Potts was eighth, while Kayla Bartelsmeyer was 26th. Kindra Emberton was 12th in the mile, while Sierra Gray, Bartelsmeyer and Dana Roberson placed 22nd, 27th and 28th. 

Kaitlyn Belisle won the 3k with a provisional time of 10:08.52, while Emberton and Harris placed 6th and 12th, respectively. Cassy Kendrick was third in the 5k with a time of 18:17.16, while Taitum Mead and Kaylee Morgan placed 6th and 12th in the 60m hurdles. Jackie Wallace was 15th in the hurdles. 

Whitney Hardy was seventh in the high jump, while Ashleigh McFarland picked up a provisional in the pole vault, finishing fourth in a height of 12-02.75. Morgan was third in the long jump, while Brittani Reagan and Mead placed 6th and 8th, respectively. Reagan finished third in the triple jump with a provisional mark of 38-04.25, while Shelby Newell and White placed 6th and 7th, respectively. 

The Lions will be back in action next weekend, as Southern plays host to the 2014 MIAA Indoor Track and Field Championships.  

Video- MU Coach Frank Haith previews Alabama game

MSSU men to close home slate Saturday against Pitt State

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern men's basketball team will play host to Pittsburg State this Saturday and the Lions will honor their five seniors for Senior Day in the last home game of the season. The game will also be the last regular-season home game for head coach Robert Corn. Tip off from the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is slated for 3 pm. 

Game Information

Teams:     Missouri Southern (18-5/12-4 MIAA) vs. Pittsburg State (7-16, 3-13 MIAA)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014
Tip-Off: 3:00 pm
Location: Joplin, Mo.
Site: Leggett & Platt AC (3,240)
Series Record: Southern leads 48-44
Coaches: Robert Corn (406-304 overall/at MSSU). Kevin Muff (55-53, overall and at PSU)

Media Coverage

MSSU Radio: 97.9 FM Big Dog - Mike McClure - Play by Play
Internet Audio: www.mssulions.com
Webcast: www.mssulions.com
Live Stats: livestats.prestosports.com/mssu
Lions on Facebook:  Facebook.com/missourisouthernlions
Lions on Twitter: @mososports; @mssumensbball

The Series: Southern leads the series 49-41 and have won six of the last seven against SBU after dropping the previous nine games in a row against the Bearcats.This has been a series of streaks as from the 1976 season through the 1984-85 season, the series saw the two teams have streaks of six, seven then six again. SBU's largest win streak was nine, while the Lions' largest streak is nine done from the 98-99 season through the 2001-02 season. Southern is 30-16 at home, while 18-25 on the road and 1-0 in neutral site games.

MIAA Team Ranks: The Lions lead the MIAA in scoring margin, blocks and offensive rebound percentage, while ranking second in rebounding offense, field goal percentage and rebounding margin. The Lions rank third in scoring, defense, steals and offensive and defensive rebounds. Southern ranks fourth in assists, field goal defense, free-throw percentage and rebounding defense, while ranking fifth in turnover margin, and three point defense. 

MIAA Individual Ranks: Marquis Addison ranks 11th in the MIAA in scoring, while ranking third in free-throw shooting and fifth in steals. Slim Magee leads the MIAA in field goal percentage, while ranking third in blocks, ninth in free-throw shooting and tenth in rebounding. Jordan Talbert ranks fourth in rebounding and blocks, while ranking 30th in scoring. Lane Barlow ranks tenth in assists, while ranking 11th in assist-turnover ratio and 15th in steals. Austin Wright is fourth in three-point percentage, while Greg Renfroe ranks 19th in rebounding. 

National Ranks: The Lions, as a team, rank 12th in scoring margin, 13th in field goal percentage, 15th in blocks per game, and 19th in free-throws made. Southern ranks 23rd in total blocks, 28th in rebound margin, 32nd in scoring offense, 38th in free-throw attempts and win loss percentage, 48th in free-throw percentage and 50th in assists per game.

Passing 1,000: Marquis Addison became the newest member of the 1,000 point club at MSSU with 20 points against Central Missouri last season. He currently has 1,503 points, moving in front of Matt Olson for 8th place all-time in scoring at Southern. He needs 18 points to pass Chris Tucker for 7th all-time and is the fourth Lion in the past three seasons to pass 1,000, joining Jason Adams, Skyler Bowlin and Keane Thomann.     

Moving Up: With his first steal at SBU, Marquis Addison moved into rare company as one of only four players to ever play at MSSU with 200 or more steals. He currently sits in fourth place all-time in career steals with 213, 45 behind Hiram Ocasio for third place. 

Nearing 1,000: Jordan Talbert comes into the Southwest Baptist game with 973 career points, needing 17 to hit the 1,000 point mark.

Career Numbers: Both Jordan Talbert and Marquis Addison are climbing the career lists in MSSU Basketball history. Addison sits at No. 8 in the career scoring list, No. 2 in career free-throw percentage and No. 4 in steals. Talbert ranks second in career blocks, and third in career rebounds. His 61 blocks last season are No. 1 on the all-time list, while Slim Magee's .649 field goal percentage is on target to break that mark this season.  

Corn Wins No. 400: Coach Robert Corn won his 400th career game on Jan. 15, 2014 in a 70-50 win at home over Lindenwood He now has 406 wins and is second among active coaches (Bob Chipman). 

Three Point Streak: The Lions failed to make a three-pointer at Arkansas Tech in their match-up in 2012-13. It was the first time in 403 games that Southern had failed to hit a three pointer, dating back to Jan. 20, 1999 against Missouri S&T. The Lions have had a three in 45-straight games since Arkansas Tech in 2012-13.  

Three Point Galore: Southern hit 15 three pointers against Southwest Baptist, tying a school record. The team shot 71.4 percent from beyond the arc, just missing the record for three-point field goal percentage in a game.

Big Time Scoring: The Lions have scored 90 points in ten games this season and have had nine different games where they have won by 20 or more points. 

Up Next: The Lions will go on the road for the final two games of the season, traveling to Lindenwood on Thursday and finishing the regular season at Lincoln on Saturday.