Missouri Southern Lions (7-3, 0-1) vs.
Missouri Western Griffons (6-4, 0-1)
Game 11 • Jan. 3, 2003 • 7:30 pm
• Joplin, Mo. • Leggett & Platt Athletic Center
(3,240)
Officials: Mark McMullen, Larry Smith,
Justin Henry
On the Air: Missouri
Southern Lions action can be heard on Oldies 103.5 FM. Kevin
Greim will handle the play-by-play, along with former Lion Jeff
Starkweather, color commentary. The pregame show tips off 20
minutes before the game. The Lions broadcasts are also
available on the internet, courtesy of Joplin.com. Just go to
the Missouri Southern Athletics web site
(www.mssu.edu/athletics) and click on the link for live
broadcasts.
The Coaches: Head
coach Robert Corn is in his 15th season at the helm of the Lions, and he
has posted a 231-173 record for a winning percentage of .572. A
1978 graduate of Southern and the all-time winningest coach in
Lions basketball history, he has led Southern to four
consecutive 20-win seasons and six overall. Corn was honored as
1999-2000 MIAA Coach of the Year, NABC South Central Regional
Coach of the Year, and Division II
Bulletin National Coach of the
Year following a 30-3 season in which the Lions advanced to the
NCAA-II Elite Eight semifinals.
Tom Smith is is
in his 16th year at Missouri Western, where he has posted a
326-131 (.713) record. A 1967 graduate of Valparaiso (Ind.),
Smith has a career mark of 496-315 (.612). He is 17-11 vs. the
Lions.
The Series: Missouri Western holds a 35-30 lead in the
all-time series with Missouri Southern. However, the Lions have
won 22 of the 32 Joplin contests between the two. Last year,
Southern won 91-83 at home on Jan. 22 and fell 82-68 in St.
Joseph. The Lions have won six of the last nine vs. MWSC
following a six-game Western winning streak from 1996-99.
The Lions
Two teams seeking their first MIAA wins of
the season will meet on Saturday at the Leggett & Platt
Athletic Center as Missouri Southern hosts Missouri Western.
Southern is coming off a 79-76 defeat on
Tuesday at Truman State, in a game that the Lions played
shorthanded. Starting forward Orestus Cavness and reserve
center Carlos Collazo were suspended one game for a practice
incident.
The Lions started the game by outscoring
Truman 17-7 to start the game, but the Bulldogs used a 7-0
spurt to take their first lead with 7:17 left in the half. From
there, it was a dogfight with the lead changing hands seven
times over the remainder of the game.
After Truman led 44-39 at halftime, the
Lions took a six-point lead in the first seven minutes of the
second half. Southern maintained a lead over most of the second
half before Truman ended the game on a 5-0 run. MSSU failed to
score a field goal in the final five minutes.
TSU outrebounded Southern 35-24 and
outscored the Lions 27-15 at the free throw line. Grant Agbo
had 22 points to pace the Bulldogs.
Southern got 19 points each from seniors Deon Rose and Ameer Watts. Junior Hiram Ocasio added 10
points and three steals. Rose and fellow frontcourt mate Darrell Redmond each
fouled out of the contest.
Lions in the MIAA
Five different Missouri Southern players
rank among the MIAA leaders in various categories. As a team,
the Lions average 12.5 steals to lead the MIAA.
Guards Hiram
Ocasio, a junior, and Ameer Watts, a senior,
are two big reasons for Southern’s high ranking in
steals. Ocasio is tops in the conference with 4.1 steals a
game, while Watts is tied for second with 2.6 an outing.
Watts also ranks fifth in the MIAA in
assists (4.5 pg), tied for seventh in scoring (15.4 ppg),
fourth in free throw percentage (.833) and third in threes made
(2.5 pg).
The defensive-minded Ocasio is also eighth
in the MIAA in blocks (1.2 pg) and is tied for 18th in scoring
average (12.6 ppg).
Junior forward Orestus
“O.C.” Cavness is
also among the league’s top 10 in scoring, ranking 10th
with 14.4 points per game. He’s also seventh in field
goal percentage (.552).
Junior reserve point guard Jeremy “Pee-Wee” Jones ranks sixth in assist-turnover ratio
(2.13).
Senior forward Darrell
Redmond is 14th in rebounding,
at 5.6 per game.
The Lions are also in the top five in the
MIAA in rebounding margin (fourth, +2.8 rpg), offensive
rebounds (fourth, 13.9 pg), rebounding defense (fifth, 34.8 rpg
allowed) and turnover margin (fifth, +3.10 pg).
The first NCAA Division II statistics
report is not yet available.
Watts’ eight threes made vs. St.
Gregory’s (Okla.) is the most by an MIAA player in the
single game this year, and his 14 attempts from three-point
distance is tied for the most. Ocasio’s nine steals
against Paul Quinn (Texas) is also an MIAA single game high.
Threes Starting to Fall
The long ball didn’t appear to be a
strength for Missouri Southern early in the year. The team shot
23.2 percent (22-of-95) from three-point range over its first
five games, but came on strong as December began. Over their
last four games, the Lions have made 44.3 percent (54-of-122)
from beyond the arc. Three players have played a key role in
that resurgence. Ameer Watts, thanks in large part to his school record
8-of-14 three-point shooting vs. St. Gregory’s on Dec. 6,
has made 20 of his last 43 threes, or 46.5 percent. Watts was
last year’s MIAA champion in three-point accuracy. Senior
guard MacKenzie Sherrel has connected on 8-of-15 triples (53.3 percent)
over the last four games, and has scored in double figures in
two of the last three. Orestus
Cavness is shooting 52.9
percent (9-of-17) from long distance over his last four
contests.
Ocasio Causes Havoc: Hiram Ocasio, the Lions’ 6-1 junior guard, has scored
in double figures in 12 of his last 15 games, dating back to
last year, and is averaging 13.2 points over that span. This
year, he has already collected 41 steals after garnering 61 all
of last year. He leads the team and the MIAA in steals (4.1 pg)
and is also Southern’s top shot-blocker at 1.2 per game.
Ocasio has twice notched career-high 23-point scoring efforts
this season and is now up to fourth on MSSU’s career
steals list with 146. He should end his career as
Southern’s second-most prolific steal artist, behind only
Eddin Santiago (1998-02). Ocasio also needs just seven more
blocks to take over fifth place on that Lions’ career
list.
Nice Touch
Despite their early troubles from
three-point range, the Lions have had good luck shooting so far
in 2003-04. In five of its last eight games, Missouri Southern
has made 50 percent or better of its shots. MSSU hit on 50
percent of its shots over a four-game stretch from Nov. 22-29.
Three Lion opponents have managed to
connect on 50 percent or better from the field. On all three
occasions, MSSU suffered a loss.
Matt Making a Mark
True freshman Matt
Habermehl is getting more work
on the court in competitive situations. Since missing the
Quincy game with the flu, he has played some significant
minutes in each of the last six games. Thus far on the year,
he’s made 11-of-20 field goal attempts, 4-of-4 free
throws and is averaging 3.3 points and 2.9 rebounds in 9.8
minutes of play. The 6-foot-8 Habermehl sat out last year,
electing to instead play baseball at Crowder College.
History Chase
Senior Ameer
Watts needs just 88 more assists to
take over fifth place on the Lions’ career assists list
... Watts and junior Caleb Engelken are both on pace to earn the top two spots
on MSSU’s career three-point shooting list ... Watts 79.5
career free throw percentage has him on pace to move into that
top-five chart at the end of the season.
Overshadowed
With Ameer Watts’ school-record three-point outing vs. St.
Gregory’s, senior Deon Rose’s career-best seven-assist performance was
lost in the shuffle. Orestus Cavness also matched his career-high with 21
points.
Lions at Home: Missouri
Southern is beginning its fifth year in the Leggett & Platt
Athletic Center. Amazingly, Southern has lost only seven times
at home since moving into Leggett & Platt. The Lions
are 58-7 (.892) in the new facility and have a 346-146 (.703)
mark at home all-time. Southern is currently riding an 11-game
home winning streak.
A Streak of 20s: Southern’s
four straight 20-win seasons coming into this year is
unprecedented in team history. The 2002-03 team’s 20-win
campaign marked the 13th such season in team history and the
sixth under coach Corn’s watch.
Scouting Western
The Griffons (6-4, 0-1) have lost four of
their last six games, including a 67-64 home defeat on Tuesday
at the hands of No. 24 Washburn. MWSC’s other losses have
come to Cameron (88-84), Lincoln (69-65) and in overtime to
Rockhurst (71-65). Western has experience in overtime, as it
also has two OT wins (87-81 over Drury and 93-89 over Central
Oklahoma).
Four Griffons average double figures in the
scoring column, led by junior Langston Grady, the MIAA’s
fourth-leading scorer at 16.8 points a game. Justin Collins and
Robert Bishop are averaging 11.4 points and Collins is tied for
the team lead with DeVonte King at 7.3 rebounds a game. Fred
Battles, a junior guard, is shooting 51.3 percent (20-of-39)
from long range.
Bishop and Battles each had 15 points for
the Griffons on Tuesday vs. Washburn, but the Ichabods won the
rebounding battle 43-29. Washburn was held without a three
pointer (0-for-5), while the Griffons made 12. However, the
Ichabods outscored MWSC 19-8 at the foul line and won in spite
of 22 turnovers.
Last Year’s Games
@ Lions 91, Western 83 - Jan. 22, 2003
JOPLIN –– After shooting 66.7
percent in the first half building a lead that grew as large as
24 points, the Lions withstood a ferocious Missouri Western
comeback and held on for the victory.
Southern dropped 50 first-half points on
the MIAA’s stingiest defense, but the Griffons connected
on 10 second-half three-pointers and shot 52.8 percent from the
field to make it a game again.
Western got within three with 44 seconds to
go, but Southern hit its last 10 free throws including eight in
the final 36 seconds.
Four MSSU starters scored in double
figures, led by Hiram Ocasio’s 18 points. Darrell Redmond
added 15 off the bench.
@ Western 82, Lions 68 - Feb. 19, 2003
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. –– The Lions
tied a season-high with 23 turnovers and had a season-low six
assists in an 82-68 loss at Missouri Western.
The Griffons got 20 more shots than
Southern, which got the lead down to three points with 11:27 to
play. But, after the Lions got within five with 6:36 remaining,
Western outscored MSSC 14-5 to end the game.
Jamahr Warren had 20 points and Watts 15 in
the defeat.
Up Next: The
Lions close out their homestand on Wednesday when border rival
Pittsburg State comes calling. That 7:30 p.m. game marks the
first round of the newly-dubbed Cafe Del Rio Bordertown Battle.
Then it’s off to Maryville for a 3:30 p.m. clash on
Saturday with No. 4 Northwest Missouri State.