Box Score

Joplin, Mo. - The Southwest Baptist University men's basketball team ran away with a 74-61 victory over Missouri Southern on Wednesday evening. With the win, SBU improves to 11-14 (6-10 MIAA) on the season.

The Bearcats and Lions played a tight contest from the beginning, with both teams staying within 3 points over the first eight minutes of action. SBU maintained their lead throughout the half and at no point found themselves trailing. With a couple of three's from Derrick Stewart and Menas Stephens the Bearcats took a ten point lead of 21-11 at 9:47 left in the half. David Gabrovsek had a great play from Daymond Cowlah, pushing the Bearcats up to a twelve-point lead of 34-22 at 3:34 left in the half. The Bearcats answered nearly every shot the Lions, ending the half on a 10-4 run, allowing SBU to lead 44-26 going into the second half.

The Bearcats continued to play a strong game with a three-pointer from Quinton Smith early on in the second half. Afam Obukwelu maintained the lead of 15 (50-35) with a layup at 14:10 left in the half, and a 3-point shot by Daymond Cowlah with under four minutes left pushed the gap between the two teams as high as 22 points (72-50). The Bearcats never allowed the Lions to come within closer than 12 points the rest of the half, as they cruised to a 74-61 victory.

Daymond Cowlah, Menas Stephens and Derrick Stewart all had outstanding games finding themselves with double digits. Cowlah led the way with 16 points and 4 assists, with Stewart adding 14 points, and Stephens narrowly missed a double-double en route to 13 points to go along with 9 rebounds. As a team SBU shot 52.1% from the field, 35.3% from beyond the arc, and 69.2% from the free throw line.

The Bearcats will hit the road again on Saturday, February 21 when they travel to Central Misouri. Tip-off against the Mules is set for 3:30 p.m. from Warrensburg, Missouri.