Southern defeats Pitt State for third straight win

Box Score

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Missouri Southern outscored Pittsburg State 25-4 over the first 10 minutes of the second half and rolled to a 67-50 victory Wednesday (Jan. 11) at Pittsburg State in the Del Rio Bordertown Battle.

The Lions (10-5, 2-2 MIAA) limited Pittsburg State to just six second-half field goals and 27.3 percent (6-of-22) shooting. The Gorillas (8-7, 1-3) didn't hit a post-halftime field goal until the 12:56 mark of the second half. Senior F Dacie Reutlinger scored eight points for Southern during the half-opening rally after MSSU held a slight 31-30 lead at the break.

Reutlinger finished with a career-high-tying 20 points. Sophomore G Robin Kantin added 13 points and  for Missouri Southern.

Pittsburg State shot 45.5 percent (10-of-22) in the first half but never led in the game. The Lions outscored PSU 16-4 over a stretch of nine-plus minutes in the opening period. That run helped Southern to a 15-point lead, 26-11, with 6:13 left. However, the Gorillas outscored the Lions 19-5 over the remainder of the half, sparked by eight points from Chloe Jones.

Jones was PSU's lone representative in double figures as she charted 15 points. Tracy Patry had nine points and a game-high eight rebounds for the Gorillas.

Pitt State committed 22 turnovers in the game and, in the second half, had just one assist against 12 miscues.

The Lions, who came in the MIAA leader in three-point accuracy and three-pointers made per game, hit just 2-of-11 shots from beyond the arc.