Liberty, Mo. – The SBU Men's Basketball team picked up their 18^th win of the season in a 76-65 win over William Jewell. The program last hit 18 wins in 2011-12, and 11 conference wins the same season. SBU's record now sits at 18-5 (11-4 GLVC).
 
The Cardinals were the first on the board, draining a three just 14 seconds into the game. Another layup got WJC to a 5-0 start. Mitch Ganote quickly scored 4 points to get SBU going, followed by a Juan Morales layup to give the Bearcats their first lead of the game. The teams went back and forth for around the first 15 minutes, with SBU taking over at the 6:46 mark. Four of the Bearcat starters gave SBU the boost they needed, starting with Damian Prgomet, then Quinn Nelson hit a three, followed by layups from Joe Miller and Godfrey Rolle. Quinn Nelson scored the last points of the first half on a layup with 35 seconds left, giving SBU a 37-27 halftime lead.
 
The Bearcat lead hit 12 points a couple of times early in the second half, but the Cardinals kept hitting shots to stay in the game. Kent Thomas scored 4-straight, followed by a Damian Prgomet layup to put the Bearcats ahead 15 with 13:47 remaining. Over the next couple of minutes, William Jewell cut the lead down to 6, 54-48. The team was solid from the free throw line, as Mitch Ganote and Quinn Nelson hit four in a row to keep SBU in the lead. WJC brought the lead down to 6 once again with 2:15 to go, Godfrey Rolle hit a huge three pointer with 49 seconds left, and Mitch Ganote free throws closed the game out, 76-65.
 
SBU was perfect at the free throw line, making all 17 shots. They also bodied up the Cardinals well, scoring 40 points in the paint. Damian Prgomet picked up his 5^th double-double of the season with his 14 point, 11 rebound performance, helping him pass the 800-point mark with 810 career points. Quinn Nelson led the scoring for SBU with 16 points, snagging 5 steals as well. Godfrey Rolle and Brady Smith were also in the double digits, scoring 15 and 13 points respectively.
 
The Bearcats will continue play up north, traveling to Rockhurst on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for 3:00 PM.