Bolivar, Mo. - Southwest Baptist Men's Basketball completed a dominant rivalry win over the Drury Panthers on the first day of December. The Bearcats, who were picked 15th out of 15 GLVC teams in the league's preseason poll, showed the Panthers (picked 5th) that they do not belong at the bottom and are ready to prove people wrong in conference play. Southwest Baptist won the game 76-59.
The Bearcats started the game off hot, knocking down shots early and forcing Drury into turnovers that led to transition points. SBU's defensive pressure set the tone throughout the opening half, turning 11 Drury giveaways into 18 points. Behind efficient scoring from
Brandon Moore,
Zac Reedus, and
Barron Silsby, the Bearcats built a 38–29 halftime lead while shooting 53% from the field and 7-of-12 from deep.
Drury made a push early in the second half, taking the lead 38–39, Moore responded with a driving and-one layup to put the Bearcats back on top. The lead changed four more times before SBU put themselves in the lead to finish it out. SBU never surrendered the momentum again, outscoring the Panthers 31–15 the rest of the way and controlling every major statistical category. The Bearcats forced 19 turnovers, turned those into 30 points, and consistently pushed the pace to stay in front.
Moore led SBU with 23 points, four rebounds, and four steals, delivering his most efficient performances of the season. Reedus followed with 19 points, five rebounds, and three assists, while Silsby added 13 points and three made threes.
Luke Ogle chipped in 11 points and a pair of blocks to round out the balanced scoring attack.
As a team, SBU shot 53.8% from the floor and 43.5% from three, while holding Drury to 40% shooting and just 8-of-27 from beyond the arc. The win marks SBU's strongest performances of the season and a statement start to December as GLVC play continues.
Southwest Baptist moves to 4–3 (1–1 GLVC) with the victory and will look to carry the momentum into their next GLVC matchup at William Jewell in Liberty, Mo. on Thursday December 4th.
