Men's Basketball Notes vs. SBU

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 234-174 record for a winning percentage of .574. 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. Corn is 16-10 vs. SBU.

With the unexpected absence, due to health concerns, of head coach Darin Archer, Ron Nunnelly has taken over as acting head coach. Southwest Baptist is 0-5 under Nunnelly. He is in his fourth year as a full-time assistant at SBU and was a member of Central Missouri State University’s 1984 championship team.

Archer, out indefinitely with complications following an emergency appendectomy in October, holds a 31-55 record at SBU and is in his fourth year at the helm. For the Archer era, the Bearcats are 31-60.

The Series

The Lions lead 39-29 in the series with Southwest Baptist, but the two teams split last year as SBU was an 80-65 winner in Bolivar, while the Lions won 92-80 at home. MSSU is 25-10 all-time at home vs. the Bearcats, who haven’t won in Joplin since 1995. Southern has won 14 of the last 16 overall vs. SBU. (All-time series scores on p. 2).

The Lions

Missouri Southern picked up a key MIAA road victory on Wednesday night in a 98-83 win at Central Missouri State. The Lions shot 54.1 percent from the field, committed just six turnovers and got a big game from senior point guard Ameer Watts, who had 29 points, seven assists and just one turnover.

Watts scored 24 points in the first half, on 9-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point distance, as the Lions led 47-41. CMSU scored the first points of the second half, but after Darrell Redmond’s layup with 12:47 left, the MSSU lead never got below 11. Southern shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from three-point land. The Lions committed just six turnovers (to 19 assists) and played possibly their most complete game of the season.

The victory raised Southern’s mark to 10-4 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA and moved the team, which hasn’t lost consecutive games this year, into a fourth-place tie with CMSU in the league standings.

Lions in the MIAA & NCAA

Four members of the Missouri Southern contingent are ranked among the MIAA leaders (through games of Jan. 15) in various statistical categories. As a team, the Lions average are second in the league in steals (10.36 pg) and tied for second in three-point field goal defense (.315)

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 3.36 steals a game, while Watts is tied for sixth with 2.00 an outing. Ocasio also ranked seventh in the nation in steals, through games of Jan. 11.

Watts is also now up to fourth in scoring (16.6 ppg) and ranks sixth in the MIAA in assists (4.36 pg), eighth in free throw accuracy (.775) and fourth in threes made (2.43).

The defensive-minded Ocasio is tied for ninth in the MIAA in blocks (0.86 pg), and is ninth in free throw percentage (.764).

Junior forward Orestus “O.C.” Cavness is also among the league’s best scorers, ranking 11th with 14.3 points per game. He’s also sixth in field goal shooting (.527).

Junior Jeremy “Pee-Wee” Jones is sixth in assist-turnover ratio (2.00).

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.

High Wattage

Point guard Ameer Watts’ 29-point game on Wednesday night marked his 14th career game with 20 or more points and it matched his 2003-04 season high. Three of Watts’ 20-point outings this year have come in the last six games.

What’s more, the 5-10 senior is averaging 19.6 points, on 47.7 percent shooting, and 4.2 rebounds per game in MIAA play. He has never been one to shy away from the big shot, and his three-pointer on Jan. 7 marked the latest clutch performance in his brief MSSU career. Last year, Watts hit winning field goals at Central Missouri and vs. Northwest.

A Rosy Picture

After averaging 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds over the Lions first eight games, forward Deon Rose has taken a more active role in the MSSU offense. Over the last six contests, the senior is averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds. He’s Missouri Southern’s third-leading scorer in conference games (13.2 ppg) and has twice contended for a double-double, garnering 13 points and nine rebounds in consecutive games vs. Missouri Western and Pittsburg State. At 4.9 rebounds a game for the season, Rose is Southern’s top rebounder, but in conference games he’s been even better, averaging 5.8 per game.

History Chase

Senior Ameer Watts needs 72 more assists to take over fifth place on the Lions’ career assists list ... Watts is now fifth on the Lions career three-pointers made list, with a total of 101 ... Watts and junior Caleb Engelken are both on pace to earn the top two spots on MSSU’s career three-point shooting list. Engelken has a career three-point shooting mark of 45.9 percent (62-of-135) and Watts 41.7 percent (101-of-242) ... Junior Hiram Ocasio has 152 career steals to rank fourth in Lions history. He needs just five more to pass Terry Shumpert for third place on the all-time list ... With five more blocks, Ocasio will pass Arnaldo Febres for fifth on the all-time list.

Steady Shooting Southern

After a slow start shooting the ball, MSSU came back and connected on 50 percent or better from the field in five of six games. That has leveled off, with Southern shooting 46 percent over its last six.

Three Lion opponents have managed to connect on 50 percent or better from the field. On all three occasions, MSSU suffered a loss.

MSSU has also converted at least 72 percent of its foul shots in five of the last seven.

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.

Lions at Home

Missouri Southern is in 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 60-7 (.895) in the new facility and have a 348-146 (.704) mark at home all-time. Southern is currently riding a 13-game home winning streak, the eighth-longest current home winning streak in NCAA-II.

Scouting the Bearcats

Southwest Baptist has lost seven consecutive games, including five straight to start the MIAA slate and brings a 3-11 overall mark into tonight’s game. On Tuesday night, Missouri-Rolla handed the Bearcats a 14-point defeat, 85-71.

Three SBU players average double figures in scoring, led by senior guard Jarrett Brown at 15.4 points per game (ninth in the MIAA). Senior David Coutchie is second on the team with 12.8 points (15th in the MIAA) and junior Cedric Ousley is third with 10.3 points an outing. Ousley leads the conference with 5.77 assists per game and Brown ranks second in the league with an average of three three-pointers made per game.

As a team, SBU is one of the top shot-blocking teams in the conference, ranking second with 4.29 per game. The ‘Cats are also third in the MIAA in assists (17.86 pg) and defensive rebounds (25.14 pg).

The Bearcats have benefitted from the return of sophomore Arthur Trousdell, whose eligibility concerns caused SBU to vacate several MIAA victories in 2002-03. Trousdell is averaging 8.3 points and six rebounds per game thus far on the year.

While Trousdell has returned, the Bearcats’ head coach, Darin Archer, has missed some time this year with ongoing health concerns. Archer underwent an emergency appendectomy in October and is out indefinitely with complications.

Tuesday’s game at Bolivar saw UMR’s Ike Muonelo lead the hot-shooting Miners with 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. David Martin led the Bearcats with 17 points, but Missouri-Rolla connected on 57.4 percent from the floor.

Last Year’s Games

@ Southwest Baptist 80, Lions 65 -- Jan. 4, 2003

BOLIVAR, Mo. –– The Lions scored just four points in the game’s first seven minutes and saw their nine-game winning streak over Southwest Baptist come to a close.

Southern trailed 36-29 at halftime and got within three early in the second half. But after that, the Lions went cold again as the Bearcats extended their lead to 20 points.

The trio of Jamahr Warren, Carlos Collazo and Darrell Redmond finished with a combined 34 points, but 28 of those came in the second half.

SBU was later forced to vacate the win.

@ Lions 92, Southwest Baptist 80 -- Feb. 1, 2003

JOPLIN ––�Jamahr Warren scored a career-high 24 points, including 19 in the first 11:30 of the game, as the Lions earned a regular season, on-the-court split with Southwest Baptist.

The Bearcats trailed by as many as 11 early in the second half, but outscored Southern 13-3 to pull within one. From there, the Lions outscored SBU 24-14 over the next 9: 30 and won going away. The Bearcats got within nine points with 2:19 to play, but MSSC hit its last eight free throws.

D.J. Hogue had 32 points for SBU.

Up Next: The Lions begin a tough road stretch at Emporia State and Washburn next week. Southern faces Emporia State on Wednesday (Jan. 21) at 7:30 p.m. and then heads to Topeka to meet the No. 13 Washburn Ichabods in a 7:30 p.m. game on Saturday (Jan. 24). The Lions then close out the month of January at home with Missouri-Rolla and Truman.


	Missouri Southern Lions (10-4, 3-2) vs. Southwest Baptist Bearcats (3-11, 0-5) Game 15 • Jan. 17, 2004 • 7:30 pm • Joplin, Mo. • Leggett & Platt Athletic Center (3,240) Officials: Pat Boeh, J.C. Leimbach, Gene Millentree View Notes in PDF Format 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 234-174 record for a winning percentage of .574. 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. Corn is 16-10 vs. SBU. With the unexpected absence, due to health concerns, of head coach Darin Archer, Ron Nunnelly has taken over as acting head coach. Southwest Baptist is 0-5 under Nunnelly. He is in his fourth year as a full-time assistant at SBU and was a member of Central Missouri State University’s 1984 championship team. Archer, out indefinitely with complications following an emergency appendectomy in October, holds a 31-55 record at SBU and is in his fourth year at the helm. For the Archer era, the Bearcats are 31-60. The Series The Lions lead 39-29 in the series with Southwest Baptist, but the two teams split last year as SBU was an 80-65 winner in Bolivar, while the Lions won 92-80 at home. MSSU is 25-10 all-time at home vs. the Bearcats, who haven’t won in Joplin since 1995. Southern has won 14 of the last 16 overall vs. SBU. (All-time series scores on p. 2). The Lions Missouri Southern picked up a key MIAA road victory on Wednesday night in a 98-83 win at Central Missouri State. The Lions shot 54.1 percent from the field, committed just six turnovers and got a big game from senior point guard Ameer Watts, who had 29 points, seven assists and just one turnover. Watts scored 24 points in the first half, on 9-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point distance, as the Lions led 47-41. CMSU scored the first points of the second half, but after Darrell Redmond’s layup with 12:47 left, the MSSU lead never got below 11. Southern shot 54.1 percent from the field, including 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from three-point land. The Lions committed just six turnovers (to 19 assists) and played possibly their most complete game of the season. The victory raised Southern’s mark to 10-4 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA and moved the team, which hasn’t lost consecutive games this year, into a fourth-place tie with CMSU in the league standings. Lions in the MIAA & NCAA Four members of the Missouri Southern contingent are ranked among the MIAA leaders (through games of Jan. 15) in various statistical categories. As a team, the Lions average are second in the league in steals (10.36 pg) and tied for second in three-point field goal defense (.315) 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 3.36 steals a game, while Watts is tied for sixth with 2.00 an outing. Ocasio also ranked seventh in the nation in steals, through games of Jan. 11. Watts is also now up to fourth in scoring (16.6 ppg) and ranks sixth in the MIAA in assists (4.36 pg), eighth in free throw accuracy (.775) and fourth in threes made (2.43). The defensive-minded Ocasio is tied for ninth in the MIAA in blocks (0.86 pg), and is ninth in free throw percentage (.764). Junior forward Orestus “O.C.” Cavness is also among the league’s best scorers, ranking 11th with 14.3 points per game. He’s also sixth in field goal shooting (.527). Junior Jeremy “Pee-Wee” Jones is sixth in assist-turnover ratio (2.00). 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. High Wattage Point guard Ameer Watts’ 29-point game on Wednesday night marked his 14th career game with 20 or more points and it matched his 2003-04 season high. Three of Watts’ 20-point outings this year have come in the last six games. What’s more, the 5-10 senior is averaging 19.6 points, on 47.7 percent shooting, and 4.2 rebounds per game in MIAA play. He has never been one to shy away from the big shot, and his three-pointer on Jan. 7 marked the latest clutch performance in his brief MSSU career. Last year, Watts hit winning field goals at Central Missouri and vs. Northwest. A Rosy Picture After averaging 6.4 points and 4.5 rebounds over the Lions first eight games, forward Deon Rose has taken a more active role in the MSSU offense. Over the last six contests, the senior is averaging 13 points and 5.3 rebounds. He’s Missouri Southern’s third-leading scorer in conference games (13.2 ppg) and has twice contended for a double-double, garnering 13 points and nine rebounds in consecutive games vs. Missouri Western and Pittsburg State. At 4.9 rebounds a game for the season, Rose is Southern’s top rebounder, but in conference games he’s been even better, averaging 5.8 per game. History Chase Senior Ameer Watts needs 72 more assists to take over fifth place on the Lions’ career assists list ... Watts is now fifth on the Lions career three-pointers made list, with a total of 101 ... Watts and junior Caleb Engelken are both on pace to earn the top two spots on MSSU’s career three-point shooting list. Engelken has a career three-point shooting mark of 45.9 percent (62-of-135) and Watts 41.7 percent (101-of-242) ... Junior Hiram Ocasio has 152 career steals to rank fourth in Lions history. He needs just five more to pass Terry Shumpert for third place on the all-time list ... With five more blocks, Ocasio will pass Arnaldo Febres for fifth on the all-time list. Steady Shooting Southern After a slow start shooting the ball, MSSU came back and connected on 50 percent or better from the field in five of six games. That has leveled off, with Southern shooting 46 percent over its last six. Three Lion opponents have managed to connect on 50 percent or better from the field. On all three occasions, MSSU suffered a loss. MSSU has also converted at least 72 percent of its foul shots in five of the last seven. 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. Lions at Home Missouri Southern is in 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 60-7 (.895) in the new facility and have a 348-146 (.704) mark at home all-time. Southern is currently riding a 13-game home winning streak, the eighth-longest current home winning streak in NCAA-II. Scouting the Bearcats Southwest Baptist has lost seven consecutive games, including five straight to start the MIAA slate and brings a 3-11 overall mark into tonight’s game. On Tuesday night, Missouri-Rolla handed the Bearcats a 14-point defeat, 85-71. Three SBU players average double figures in scoring, led by senior guard Jarrett Brown at 15.4 points per game (ninth in the MIAA). Senior David Coutchie is second on the team with 12.8 points (15th in the MIAA) and junior Cedric Ousley is third with 10.3 points an outing. Ousley leads the conference with 5.77 assists per game and Brown ranks second in the league with an average of three three-pointers made per game. As a team, SBU is one of the top shot-blocking teams in the conference, ranking second with 4.29 per game. The ‘Cats are also third in the MIAA in assists (17.86 pg) and defensive rebounds (25.14 pg). The Bearcats have benefitted from the return of sophomore Arthur Trousdell, whose eligibility concerns caused SBU to vacate several MIAA victories in 2002-03. Trousdell is averaging 8.3 points and six rebounds per game thus far on the year. While Trousdell has returned, the Bearcats’ head coach, Darin Archer, has missed some time this year with ongoing health concerns. Archer underwent an emergency appendectomy in October and is out indefinitely with complications. Tuesday’s game at Bolivar saw UMR’s Ike Muonelo lead the hot-shooting Miners with 21 points, seven rebounds and nine assists. David Martin led the Bearcats with 17 points, but Missouri-Rolla connected on 57.4 percent from the floor. Last Year’s Games @ Southwest Baptist 80, Lions 65 -- Jan. 4, 2003 BOLIVAR, Mo. –– The Lions scored just four points in the game’s first seven minutes and saw their nine-game winning streak over Southwest Baptist come to a close. Southern trailed 36-29 at halftime and got within three early in the second half. But after that, the Lions went cold again as the Bearcats extended their lead to 20 points. The trio of Jamahr Warren, Carlos Collazo and Darrell Redmond finished with a combined 34 points, but 28 of those came in the second half. SBU was later forced to vacate the win. @ Lions 92, Southwest Baptist 80 -- Feb. 1, 2003 JOPLIN ––�Jamahr Warren scored a career-high 24 points, including 19 in the first 11:30 of the game, as the Lions earned a regular season, on-the-court split with Southwest Baptist. The Bearcats trailed by as many as 11 early in the second half, but outscored Southern 13-3 to pull within one. From there, the Lions outscored SBU 24-14 over the next 9: 30 and won going away. The Bearcats got within nine points with 2:19 to play, but MSSC hit its last eight free throws. D.J. Hogue had 32 points for SBU. Up Next: The Lions begin a tough road stretch at Emporia State and Washburn next week. Southern faces Emporia State on Wednesday (Jan. 21) at 7:30 p.m. and then heads to Topeka to meet the No. 13 Washburn Ichabods in a 7:30 p.m. game on Saturday (Jan. 24). The Lions then close out the month of January at home with Missouri-Rolla and Truman.