Bolivar, Mo- The SBU Men's Basketball team began their conference play tonight as they took on the William Jewell Cardinals. The Bearcats won with a score of 77-66 moving to a record of 5-1(1-0 conference.)

Bearcats got off to a slow start going down 2-6 but a Quinn Nelson 3 brought them right back within one. A put back dunk from Joe Miller after the media timeout gave them a one-point lead. Teams would trade leads with an occasional tie and would head to the under eight media timeout tied at 22. Bearcats then went on a 9-0 run with baskets from Miller, Nelson, and Beaubrun. Cardinals would answer back and SBU would go into half with a 33-29 lead.

Jalil Beaubrun opened up the Bearcats scoring in the second half with an "and one" layup, followed quickly by a Joe Miller 3. Next offensive possession Beaubrun had a monster one handed slam. SBU went into the first media up 44-35. Strong defensive possessions from the Bearcats and points by Juan Morales and a three by Nelson helped them extend their lead to 16.

A few buckets by the Cardinals and a big 3 pointer by RJ Crawford helped the Bearcats hold their lead at 13 at the under 12 media timeout. Six unanswered points by the Cardinals made it a 7-point game. Beaubrun responded with a dunk over top of a Cardinal player. Bearcats would head into the under 8 media timeout up 59-49. An "and one" driving layup by Crawford and a three by Nelson put the Bearcats up 14 shortly out of break. SBU would build the hold it for the rest of the game. The game would finish with a 77-66 Bearcat victory.

The Bearcats shot 28-51 from the field for 54.9% and 6-14 from three for 42.9%. Crawford led the team in scoring with 18 points, his career high. Three other Bearcats made it to double figures in Beaubrun, Nelson, and Mitch Ganote with 12, 15, and 10 points respectively. Miller had 8 and Morales had 7. Nico Aguirre and Ayden Stone each had two and Rico Clouden had three to round out the scoring for the Bearcats.

The Bearcats will be back in action this Thursday as they take on the Rockhurst Hawks in Kansas City. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30.