MSSU men defeat Midwestern State 77-71

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern basketball team used a 14-7 run to end the game and the Lions took out Midwestern State 77-71 today in the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic.

Southern (5-3) was led offensively Lane Barlow who scored a career-high 29 points on the afternoon. Barlow went 9-16 from the field and 2-5 from long-range, while going 9-10 from the free-throw line. Cameron Cornelius scored 12 points, while Taylor Luster added 11.

Midwestern State (4-2) was led offensively by 18 points from Adiodun Adegoke, while Devante Pullum had 14 and Xavier Blackburn scored 13.

Both teams traded leads early, but back-to-back jumpers from Taevaunn Prince gave the Lions a 10-6 lead with 15:45 to go in the first half. A jumper from Cornelius with 11:34 to go in the half gave the Lions a 18-14 lead and the score was 23-14 after a jumper and a three from Barlow with 10:48 to go in the half.

Midwestern took a 28-27 lead after a pair of freebies from Pullum with 7:19 to go in the half, and led 33-27 with 4:05 to go. The Mustangs took a 36-33 lead into the locker room at the break.

Cornelius tied the game at 38 with a free-throw with 16:39 to go in the second half and a free-throw from Brandon Pines made the score 39-38 Lions with Lions, but a three from the Mustangs' Derrell Gibbs made the score 43-41 MSU with 14:56 left to go in the game.

Both teams traded leads for the next five minutes and the Mustangs led 53-47 with 10:48 left in the game, but the Lions went on a 12-4 run and a three from Luster with 6:36 left gave Southern a 59-57 lead. The Lions led from then on out and despite Midwestern State getting to within three on multiple occasions, Southern made clutch free-throws down the stretch to seal the win.

The Lions shot 42 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free-throw line. Southern had a 13-11 advantage in points off of 14 MSU turnovers, while posting a 13-12 advantage in second-chance points.

Southern will be back in action on Thursday, Dec. 4 when the Lions travel to Nebraska-Kearney for a matchup with the Lopers. Tipoff from Kearney is slated for 7:30 pm.