SBU started strong and scored the game's first six points after the Lions missed their first five shots of the contest and still lead 12-7 with 14:02 left in the opening half before Southern began to make their mark, thanks in large part to outstanding play of Deonte Cox (St. Louis, Mo).

Cox scored 12 as the Lions outscored the Bearcats 19-2 over an 8:17 span to lead 26-14 with 5:45 left in the first half.  Cox went 5-of-5 during that stretch, including converting two three-point plays.

The Bearcats responded with a 7-0 run that was fueled by a pair of layups from Matthew Rogers that brought SBU to within 26-21 with 4:18 left in the opening half.

Southern came right back though with a three-pointer from Daniel Hurst (Hot Springs, Ark.) and a jumper from Stanley Titsworth (Muskogee, Okla.) to push the lead to 31-21 with 3:40 left in the first half.

After SBU trimmed the lead to five at 31-26, Matt Habermehl (Independence, Mo.) nailed a jumper at the conclusion of the first half to give the Lions a 33-26 halftime lead.

The Lions rebounded from the slow offensive start to shoot 48.1 percent (13-of-27) in the first half, while turning up the defensive pressure to hold SBU to only 32.3 percent (10-of-31) from the field in the opening half. 

The second half proved to be a much different story for the Lions though.  With the Lions ahead 38-28, the Bearcats exploded for a 42-22 run to take its biggest lead of the night at 70-60 with under five minutes remaining.

MSSU pulled to within to six at 78-72 with when Tyler Ryerson (Willard, Mo.) hit a running jumper with 25 seconds left.

Jared Young then split a pair of free throws for SBU and the Lions got to within four after Hurst hit his second trey of the night to make it 79-75 in favor of SBU with 16 seconds left.

But Jason Jemison stepped to the charity stripe and hit two crucial free throws to seal the victory for the Bearcats.

The Lions were led by 22 points from Cox, with Titsworth adding 13 and Ryerson scoring and a game-high 7 assists.

Young paced SBU with a game-high 28 points, while Jemison and Jim Grabowski also reached double-figures with 15 and 11, respectively.

Southern lost the double-digit second half lead despite shooting a red-hot 62.1 percent (18-of-29) after halftime. 

The Lions were out-rebounded 36-29 overall and 16-8 on the offensive glass.

The Lions will next host the Washburn Ichabods on Wednesday night (Jan. 24) at 7:30 p.m. at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

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