Bolivar, Mo. – In a thriller that came down to the wire, the Bearcats came out on top thanks to a last second layup. The 64-63 victory boosts SBU to 13-5 on the year, and knocks the Lewis Flyers to 9-9.
 
It took the Lewis Flyers over 4 minutes to finally get on the scoreboard, as SBU's stellar defense gave them an early 10-0 lead. The visitors finally got some offense going and made the score 16-8 with 10:40 to go in the first. After a few scoreless possessions, Quinn Nelson found Juan Morales for a monster slam over the Flyers defender. Not long after, Nelson nailed a three to make it an 11-point game with just over 6 minutes before the break. The Bearcats held a double-digit lead the remainder of the first half, but Lewis managed to force a turnover and score right before halftime to make the score 31-21 in favor of SBU.
 
The first points of the second half came from a Jalil Beaubrun jumper, followed by another Quinn Nelson three pointer. A few minutes in, Brady Smith completed a three-point play and Juan Morales found the basket to build the lead to 19 with 15:55 left. The momentum began to shift at that point, allowing Lewis to go on a 12-0 run. Mitch Ganote put an end to the scoreless run with a jumper, but the Flyers continued to eat away at SBU's lead. With 2:58 left, Lewis hit a three to get within 1, but Joe Miller hit two big free throws to extend the lead once again. The Flyers recorded the next score and forced a turnover that led to another basket to take their first lead of the game at 63-62 with 13 seconds left. Mitch Ganote took the ball the entire length of the court, driving in and laying it up to put the Bearcats back up 64-63 with 7 seconds to go. Ganote transitioned well, closely guarding the last shot taken that resulted in a miss, sealing the win for SBU.
 
Jalil Beaubrun had a career night, scoring a career-high 12 points on 5-7 shooting from the field. He also led both teams with 7 rebounds and 2 blocks. Joe Miller only missed one shot on the evening, scoring 14 points on 4-5 shooting from the field, including 1-1 from deep and 5-5 from the free throw line. As a team, SBU shot 23-44 (52.3%) from the field and held Lewis to 22-63 (34.9%). The Bearcats also out-rebounded the Flyers 35-25, but lost the turnover battle 18-3.
 
SBU still holds the 4 seed in the GLVC Point Rating System with 3.69 points over their 18 games. The full PRS standings can be found here.
 
The Bearcats wrap up their home schedule with a Saturday matchup against the Prairie Stars of Illinois Springfield at 3 PM. The team's two seniors will be recognized at the game.