Box Score
Bolivar, Mo. – The Bearcats hosted Emporia State in an MIAA matchup Thursday evening. The Hornets defeated the Bearcats 89-77, moving SBU to 11-10 (5-7 MIAA).
 
ESU scored first in the game, but Karim Mouliom responded with a violent put-back dunk to get SBU on the board. The Hornets took a 5 point lead with 15:05 to go in the half, but Andy Campbell hit a three, followed by two Maris Colton free throws to tie the game. A few minutes later, the Hornets jumped back out to a 6 point lead. However, layups by Adnan Jahic and Godfrey Rolle kept SBU within 2 points. Karim Mouliom later tied things up and took the lead with a three point, and-one, play.
 
The teams traded leads several times before the half came to an end. With 5:26, Emporia State held a 1 point lead, but Quinn Nelson erased that lead and gave it to SBU with a three. Neither team would score for almost two straight minutes. ESU responded with 7 straight points before Karim Mouliom and Andy Campbell made 4 straight free throws. The Hornets hit two three pointers before the end of the half, but layups from Mouliom and Campbell kept the score at 44-41 in favor of the visitors.
 
Maris Colton wasted no time in the second half, making a three less than 30 seconds in. ESU regained the lead after Colton tied things up, but Godfrey Rolle made a layup to even things at 46. With 16:15 on the clock, the Hornets jumped out to an 8 point lead. Quinn Nelson and Maris Colton made back to back layups, but Emporia State kept scoring as well. Just over 10 minutes into the half, ESU made a three to take a 14 point lead, causing the Bearcats to call a timeout and talk things over.
 
Following the timeout, Karim Mouliom went on an 11-0 run to bring SBU within 3. With 4:29 remaining, Quinn Nelson hit a three to bring ESU's lead down to 74-72. The Hornets hit back to back to back three's on their next three possessions. They held on to the lead with free throws to end the game with a final score of 89-77.
 
Karim Mouliom scored his fifth straight double-double, seventh in the last eight games. He scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, going 8-11 from the field, including 9-9 from the free throw line. Three other Bearcats were in double digits as well. Maris Colton scored 18 points and had 7 rebounds. Quinn Nelson scored 11 points and dished 4 assists, and Andy Campbell had 10 points.
 
The Bearcats face Washburn next, taking on the Ichabods at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon in Bolivar.