Kansas City, Mo. - The 22nd-ranked Missouri Southern men's basketball team is on to the MIAA Tournament Championship game as the Lions defeated 15th-ranked Rogers State 76-70 Saturday night inside historic Municipal Auditorium.
Southern (23-7) will face off against No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri for the MIAA Championship tomorrow at 3:15 pm, the third time the two teams have played this season. It will be the first time since 2015 and the fourth time in the last ten years the Lions have been in the MIAA Tournament Championship game (2011, 2014, 2015, 2020).
Elyjah Clark scored 24 points and added eight rebounds to lead the scoring attack for the Lions. Winston Dessesow had 15 points and six rebounds off the bench, going 4-of-5 from long-range. Kinzer Lambert had 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Cam Martin had 12 points and eight boards.
Rogers State (25-5) had four players in double-figures, led by 19 points from Tavian Davis.
A jumper from Parker Jennings with 15:33 left in the first half gave the Lions a 12-7 lead and a three from Clark with 12:23 left pushed the Southern lead to 17-13.
The Hillcats, however, responded and went on a 13-2 run over the next four minutes and led 26-19. A free throw from Christian Bundy with 4:21 left in the half got the Lions within four (32-28), and a three from Lambert with three minutes to go got the Lions within one (32-31). Rogers State closed the half on a 5-0 run and led 37-31 at the break.
The Hillcats led by nine (42-33) with 17:35 left in the second half, but the Lions kept pushing. A three from Dessesow with 16:17 left got Southern within four (42-38) and another three from Dessesow, this time with 15:11 made the score 44-43.
A floater from Dessesow from just inside the free throw line with 12:55 left got the Lions within a point again (48-47), and a layup from Dessesow with 11:21 on the clock tied the game at 49. A three from Lambert gave the Lions a 56-51 lead with 8:23 to go, while a three from Clark the next trip down pushed the Southern lead to 59-53.
A free throw from Clark with 2:02 left gave the Lions a 67-59 lead and Braelon Walker hit a huge three with under a minute left to give the Lions a 70-61 lead. RSU scored some late points, but Dessessow hit some clutch free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Southern shot 37 percent from the floor, but made 28 free throws which proved to be a huge difference-maker in the game. The Lions out rebounded the Hillcats 48-33, including a 14-8 advantage on the offensive boards.
The Lions and Bearcats will battle it out for the 2020 MIAA Basketball Tournament Championship today at 3:15 pm.
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