Box score | Season stats

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The SBU Bearcats' rematch with the Missouri Western Griffons, unfortunately was similar to last week's result from St. Joseph, as the 'Cats fell 82-72 Friday in the first round of the MIAA Tournament. The Griffons jumped out to 40-26 halftime lead and the closest SBU could get in the second half was seven points.

The Bearcats were led by Ryan Dougherty and Jacob French, each with 18 points. Kurt Koenig had 16 points while Tomas Brock added 14 points. Koenig and Stephen Cotten had five rebounds each for the 'Cats.

"Our youth and inexperience showed in today's game," said SBU head coach Jeff Guiot. "I was really disappointed in the first half. We came out and competed in the second. Missouri Western is a fine team bound for the NCAA Tournament. They're athletic and well-coached."

"Ryan and Jacob played their tails off," Guiot continued. "If people only knew what Tomas fought through this year with his back injury -- I've never coached a tougher kid in my 20 years of coaching."

After the Bearcats took an 11-10 lead early on a trey from Dougherty, Western used a 17-4 run to go up by 14 points with 5:52 left in the first half. The Griffons carried the same margin into halftime and shot 62% in the first half.

MWSU extended their lead to 20 points (48-28) before the Bearcats would rally. French and Dougherty hit outside shots and consecutive steals by French led to dunks from Koenig and French. SBU was within eight points (52-44) with 12 minutes to go but could never quite catch up. SBU closed to within seven at two occasions but the Griffons held off the Bearcats for the win.

Marcus Rhodes led the Griffons (18-10) with 22 points, while Dominique Thuston and Justin Taylor each had 17.

The Bearcats (20-11) will now wait for the NCAA Tournament pairings on Sunday night, though their chances do not look good. The Bearcats were eighth in the most recent regional rankings, but would be replaced by the Heartland Conference automatic qualifier among the eight teams selected for the South Central Region. The highest ranking Heartland Conference team in Wednesday's rankings was Incarnate Word in ninth.

Guiot reflected on the season, which he described as a rough year mentally. "We won 20 games, which not a lot of teams can say. It was a roller coaster ride all year long. We had some discipline issues early on, and Matt (Rogers') injury hurt us, just as we were starting to gain momentum. When you lose the engine that runs the car, it's a big blow. Guys were in different roles that what they were brought in for. Obviously it didn't end up like we wanted it to. We'll hit the recruiting trail and get back to the level we're accustomed to."