SBU BEARCATS (16-5, 7-4 MIAA) vs
MISSOURI SOUTHERN LIONS (12-6, 6-6 MIAA)

SATURDAY, JANUARY 30, 2010 • 7:30 PM
BOLIVAR, MO • MEYER SPORTS CENTER
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SBU NOTES | MSSU NOTES

BOLIVAR, Mo. -- The SBU Bearcats look to get back on the winning track against the Lions from Missouri Southern. After starting the second half of the MIAA schedule off last week with a narrow loss to conference rival Central Missouri, the Bearcats find themselves third in the MIAA standings, three and a half games back of the Mules for second. SBU is ranked sixth in the first South Central Regional rankings of the season, which came out earlier this week. The MIAA placed five teams in the top ten, including Fort Hays State, who were ranked first.

In the last meeting between the local rivals, SBU defeated Missouri Southern in Joplin, by a convincing 83-67 score. That game saw three Bearcats score twenty or more points, including Matt Rogers (23), Tomas Brock (22), and Kurtis Koenig (21), while Tristan Steele contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds. Rogers just missed a triple double, after finishing with 10 blocks and eight boards.

Rogers is a national Player of the Year candidate and the reigning MIAA MVP. He is averaging 22.8 points per game, the most in the MIAA and tenth in the country. Rogers is also second on the MIAA rebounding list, with 9.1 boards every game. With 70 blocks on the year, Rogers is fourth nationally (3.7 bpg), and has 41 more blocks than anyone else in the league. Rogers is also among the MIAA leaders in field goal percentage (52.4% - 7th), free throw percentage (80.6% - 8th), and defensive rebounds (7.5 rpg - 1st). Brock, SBU's starting point guard, is third in the MIAA in assists per game (5.1), third in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1) and is fifth in free throw percentage (84.5%).

Steele has led the Bearcats in scoring in three conference matchups this season, tallying 24 points at UCM, 22 points against Pitt State and 21 versus Washburn. Steele has a team-high 40 three-pointers on the season (ninth in the MIAA), and is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game. Koenig, a junior forward from Waconia, Minn., is averaging 13.0 points per game (18th in MIAA), 5.1 rebounds per night and is hitting 46.8% from three-point range. Sophomore Ryan Dougherty is averaging 12.4 points per game over the last five contests and has hit 14 treys (50%) over the games.

As a team the Bearcats are ninth nationally in scoring (88.0 ppg), eighth in three-pointers per game (9.7) and fourth in free-throw percentage. SBU also leads the MIAA in scoring and free throw percentage (77.4%)

THE COACHES AND THE ALL-TIME SERIES
SBU head coach Jeff Guiot is in his sixth season in Bolivar, where he has led the Bearcats to a 123-48 (.719) record. Guiot has a 341-141 record overall, and has yet to suffer a losing season during his fifteen-year career. Guiot has won 20 games ten times, as well as eight conference titles, including three of the last four MIAA regular season championships while at SBU.

Head coach Robert Corn has been on the Lions' bench for the past 22 seasons, where he has led Southern to 16 MIAA Tournament appeareances, and two berths into the NCAA Tournament. Corn has recorded a career record of 322-265, all with Missouri Southern. The series between the Lions and Bearcats has more meetings than any other in SBU history. The two schools first met in the 1968-69, when SBU won three games against Southern, including a 74-72 overtime win. The Bearcats struggled against the Lions during the late '90's and early 2000's, but have pulled off eight straight victories against Southern, and after defeating the Lions earlier this year, SBU has a chance to narrow the gap in the series in the 82nd meeting between the two schools, as Missouri Southern currently leads 42-39.

SCOUTING THE LIONS
SBU defeated the Lions in Joplin on December 9 by an 83-67 score. SBU hammered the Lions last season in Bolivar, winning 105-65. Southern features one of the league's most exciting dunkers, Jason Adams, who ranks fourth in the MIAA in scoring (17.9). Skyler Bowlin leads the conference in steals (2.26) while Keane Thomann is tops in field goal percentage (63.1%). MSSU is the fourth highest scoring team in the MIAA (83.9 ppg) and is starting to come on, winning five of their last seven games.

NEXT UP FOR THE BEARCATS
Pittsburg State (7-12, 1-11 MIAA) is struggling of late, having lost six in a row going into Saturday's matchup at Central Missouri. The Gorillas are a good defensive team allowing only 69.3 which is fourth in the MIAA. Pitt State is led in scoring by Spencer Magana and Rodney Grace. Magana is sixth in the league with 17.2 points per game and Grace is twelfth with an average of 15.4 points per contest. JaVon McGee leads the team in rebounds at just under 7 boards a game. SBU defeated PSU 79-75 in Bolivar on December 12.