Bolivar, Mo. – The SBU men's basketball team returned to conference play this afternoon as they took on the Lewis University Flyers. The Bearcats extended their winning streak to five with a 77-65 victory over the Flyers. That win moves SBU to 11-3 (3-3 GLVC) on the season.
 
"With the balance in the league this year they are all going to be tough and all going to be challenges and just enjoy the challenge of every possession. That was where we were just trying to lock in and play one trip at a time." Head Coach Clark Sheehy said.
 
The star of the game was freshman Drenin Dinkins scoring a career high and season team high 31 points. The most points by a freshman in a single game since Glenn Stanley scored 32 points a freshman on January 21^st, 1989. Dinkins went a near perfect from the field knocking down all seven three pointers and a perfect 8-8 from the charity stripe.
 
"We have had some pretty good moments through the years but he definitely got hot and we needed him." Sheehy said, "When he came in and hit his first couple, we were right in that stretch where we were having a hard time scoring and weren't in a real good rhythm and that really sparked us."
 
Senior Mitch Ganote also had a stellar performance recording his 5^th double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds. He was three assists shy of his second consecutive triple-double.
 
The Bearcats will return to action next Thursday, January 12^th as they begin a three-game road trip. They will battle the Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars with a scheduled tipoff of 7:30 PM.