Bolivar, Mo. – The Bearcats extended their winning streak to five games Saturday afternoon, defeating the William Jewell Cardinals for the second time this season. Overall on the season, SBU sits at 6-1 (6-1 GLVC).
 
William Jewell won the tipoff and put the first points on the board. Brady Smith found Joe Miller for SBU's first points, evening the score at 2-2. The teams kept the score pretty even through the first half until the 14:01 mark, when the Cardinals scored 8 straight to build a 9-point lead with 10:22 left in the first. Three-pointers by Ricky Crawford Jr. and Quinn Nelson cut the Jewell lead down to 3, but the visitors maintained their distance. Just before halftime, Ricky Crawford Jr. made a jumper and Quinn Nelson stole the ball away for another two points, cutting the deficit to 31-32 in favor of WJC.
 
Mitch Ganote had the first points out of the break, giving the Bearcats the lead for the first time. Following up on defense, Ganote then stole the ball and fed Joe Miller who finished with a dunk. After the SBU lead grew to 6, WJC began a comeback with a little over 11 minutes in the game. They erased the deficit and took a 5-point lead just under 7 minutes from the end of regulation. Two Joe Miller free throws, layups from Miller and Ganote, and free throws from Brady Smith erased that deficit and gave SBU a 57-55 lead. After the Cardinals evened the score, Joe Miller made a layup and Ricky Crawford Jr. hit a big three to provide some padding. A couple of scores in the paint and free throws sealed the victory for SBU, 74-62.
 
Mitch Ganote led nearly all categories, scoring 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists. Quinn Nelson added 15 points and 5 rebounds, also recording SBU's lone block on the afternoon. Brady Smith contributed 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in the victory. Joe Miller hit 10+ points for the 5^th time this season, scoring 12 points and adding 4 rebounds. The Bearcats out-rebounded the Cardinals 34-30 and shot the ball better from the field at 45.6% opposed to 37.5%.  
 
SBU was scheduled to hit the road for a make up game against McKendree on Tuesday. However, due to COVID, the Bearcats will now host the University of Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles on Tuesday, January 12 at 3 PM in Bolivar.