Game Notes

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Bolivar, Mo. - The Bearcats travel to St. Joseph, Missouri to take on Missouri Western as they battle for position in the MIAA tournament, and look to continue to climb up the MIAA rankings. Fans can catch the game live on KBFL 99.9, or find live video online at www.AmericaOne.com.

The Coaches and the All-Time Series

SBU head coach Jeff Guiot continues in his seventh season on the Bearcat bench, where he has won three MIAA regular season titles, and compiled a 134-58 (.698) record. Coach Guiot has led the 'Cats to an MIAA Tournament appearance each season, and three NCAA Tournament appearnaces. Last season, SBU won 20 games for the third consecutive season, marking the first time in the history of the program the feat has been accomplished.

Tom Smith starts his 23rd season as the head coach of the men's basketball program. Smith started his career at Central Missouri, then went on to coach at his alma mater, Valparaiso, and has been coach at Missouri Western for the last 23 years. Smith has a career win percentage of .585, and .642 while at Missouri Western. Smith's all-time record against the Bearcats is 26-14.

Missouri Western leads the all-time series against SBU 44-26. SBU has won 10 of the last 12 meetings.

Last Time Out for the Bearcats

The Bearcat men lost a tough game against Washburn, 81-87, in Bolivar Saturday afternoon. Senior guard, Tomas Brock, returned to action by scoring 15 points and dishing out four assists in the loss. Brock was aggressive towards the basket, shooting a team high 12 free throws. “It's nice to have Tomas back,” head coach Jeff Guiot stated after the ballgame.

SBU had 4 players in double figures, and were lead in scoring by Lane Barlow. Barlow scored 17 points, had four assists and four rebounds. To go along with Brock and Barlow were Stephen Cotten, who scored 13 points and pulled down 9 rebounds, and Tre Smith who contributed 12 points off of 4-7 shooting from beyond the arc.

SBU shot 44.6% from the field, 29.6% from beyond the arc, and 79.3% from the stripe. SBU also had more assists (19-14) and blocks (3-1) than Washburn.

Quick Hits

• As a team, SBU is ranked 2nd in the Nation for 3-point field goals made per game, averaging 11.3 per game.

• Junior guard Ryan Dougherty is the leading scorer for the Bearcats averaging 14.3 points per game, He also leads the Bearcats in field goal made (5.2 p/g), and total assists (71).

• Junior forward Robson Memnon along with sophomore forward Steven Cotten are the inside prescene for the Bearcats. The big men average a combined 15.2 points per game and 10.2 rebounds per game.

• Junior Nick James holds the second highest spot in the MIAA for three point field goal percentage at .451, while Dougherty is tied for the top spot in the assist to turnover ratio (2.2).

• Freshman Lane Barlow, along with freshman Zach Kleine continue to make an impact for the Bearcats. The freshman duo average a combined 11.5 points per game.

• SBU is 11-12 overall and 8-9 in the conference. The Bearcats are seventh in the MIAA standings, and average 80.3 points per game (4th in the MIAA).

Scouting the Griffons

Missouri Western is currently ranked ninth in the MIAA, with an overall record of 9-13 (7-10 MIAA). MWSU averages 78.2 points per game (5th in the MIAA) with a field goal percentage of .463 (6th in the MIAA). The Griffons also average 32.6 rebounds per game (10th in the MIAA) and 14.9 assists per game (6th in the MIAA).

Junior guard Jonathan Phelps is the Griffons' leading scorer, averaging 18.3 points per game coming off the bench. Phelps also averages 1.4 steals per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, and 1.6 assists per game.