Liberty, Mo. – The Bearcats traveled north Friday evening, taking on the William Jewell Cardinals. A strong end to the first half gave SBU all the momentum they needed to finish out the game in their favor, 89-71. SBU played four games in the past seven days to begin the season, going 3-1 in that stretch.
 
The first points came just over a minute and a half into the game on two Brady Smith free throws. It took the Cardinals nearly four minutes to get on the board. With 11:41 left in the first, WJC took their only lead of the game, 11-10. Brady Smith hit a three to help SBU gain the lead for what would be the remainder of the game. The score read 22-20 in favor of SBU with 6:49 left on the clock, when the Bearcats went on a huge 26-6 run to end the half.
 
Joe Miller hit a three to get the second half under way. The Cardinals kept chipping away at the SBU lead throughout the second half, but SBU maintained their distance. With 13:06 left, SBU led 58-41 when Brady Smith hit a free throw and Tyler Williams threw a dunk down. Brady Smith, Joe Miller, Ricky Crawford Jr., and Juan Morales scored on five consecutive possessions to maintain a 20 point lead with 7:47 to go. William Jewell cut the lead down to 13 with 2:10 left, but seven Mitch Ganote free throws, a Joe Miller dunk, and a three point play by Tyler Williams wrapped up the game, 89-71.
 
Ricky Crawford Jr. led the team with 16 points on 6-9 shooting, and added 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Brady Smith, Joe Miller, and Tyler Williams each contributed 13 points as well. Miller led the team with 8 rebounds, and Smith had 5 steals and 2 blocks. The team shot 52.5% from the field, holding WJC to 36.7% shooting.
 
The Bearcats are off until 2021, playing their next game on January 2 against Lindenwood University.