Bolivar, Mo. - The Southwest Baptist University men's basketball team turned an 11 point second half deficit into a 9 point victory when SBU claimed its first win of the 2012-13 season with a 78-69 victory over Arkansas-Monticello. The Bull Weevils, a 21-9 team last season, drop to 1-1 on the season while the Bearcats move to 1-3.

Arkansas-Monticello and Southwest Baptist played a tight first half, with no team leading by more than 6 points as the Bull Weevils took a 40-36 lead going into halftime. The Bearcats found themselves down 11 points with 12:15 left to go in the game before SBU started to turn up the defense. The Bull Weevils struggled to handle the SBU press, resulting in easy baskets for the Bearcats. The Bearcats slowly chipped away at the lead, and re-gained the lead at 63-62 with 4:53 left to go in the game. SBU had big buckets from Jayon'e Troutman and hit key free throws down the stretch to claim the 78-69 victory.

The Bearcats had five players in double-figures, while Gilbert Gyamfi scored a team high 16 points and grabbed a team high 8 rebounds in the victory. Preston Guiot and Kyle Sloan both added 13 points and 4 assists a piece, while Jayon'e Troutman added 11 points and Jaywuan Hill had 10 points in the win.

As a team, SBU shot a season high 50.0% from the field and 33.3% from beyond the arc. The Bearcats forced 18 Bull Weevil turnovers, had 10 steals, and dished out 21 assists in the win.

"We did an outstanding job with our press," head coach Jeff Guiot stated after the victory. "Tonight we were a little more patient and made the simple passes, and I thought that was a real difference in the game. We were also aggressive on both ends of the floor. I like the spirit of this team and I am really proud of the guys tonight."

The Bearcats will hit the road on Saturday, November 17 when they travel to Rolla, Missouri to take on Missouri S&T. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.