FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Jan. 16, 2008

Lions knock off first place Northwest Missouri, 65-64

Box Score

Maryville, Mo. -Ivaney Marquez made two key plays on the offensive and defensive ends in the final moments to lead the Missouri Southern Lions to a 65-64 win over the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Wednesday night (Jan. 16) in Maryville, Mo.

Trailing 64-63, Marquez missed a pair of shots but coralled the offensive board each time and hit a layup to put the Lions ahead with just four seconds remaining.

Marquez then closed the deal on the other end with a block of a last-second jumper by Jessica Burton as the Lions (11-3, 2-3 MIAA) hung on for the victory.

The see-saw game featured seven lead changes, with six coming in the second half. The Bearcats final lead came after a free throw by Kelli Nelson put Northwest (9-5, 4-1 MIAA) up 64-63 with 48 seconds remaining.

The Lions biggest lead of the evening came when Tynesha Pierce capped off a 9-0 Southern spurt with a jumper that made it 60-56 in favor of the Lions with 6:56 left in the second half.

Northwest then scored five straight to lead by one, but a three-pointer by India Wood put the Lions back on top 63-61 with 4:12 left.

Things could not have started much worse for the Lions as the Bearcats began the game on a 15-0 run that included seven points from Mandi Schumacher during that stretch.

Southern battled back and got the lead under double-digits for the first time on a jumper by Pierce that brought the Lions to within 22-14 with 11:13 remaining in the opening half.

As bad as the Lions began the first half, they ended the first stanza in just as great of fashion. After a bucket by Schumacher gave the Bearcats a 32-24 advantage, the Lions closed the half on an 11-1 run that included scoring the final nine points of the opening half.

Lindsey Davis scored five in that span and Ela Zawadka made a layup with 10 seconds left to give the Lions a 35-33 lead going into halftime.

Wood led the Lions with 13, including making all three of attempts from beyond the arc. Pierce scored 12 and added nine rebounds, while Davis came through with a career-high 11 points and recorded a team-high five assists. Zawadka and Fatai Hala'Api'Api each scored 10 and Marquez grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for the Lions.

Schumacher was the only Bearcat to score in double-figures with a game-high 21 and a team-leading nine rebounds.

The Lions held the Bearcats to only 39.7 percent (28-of-58) from the field, while registering a 42.4 percent (28-of-66) shooting clip of their own.

MSSU will now return home for their next two contests, beginning with a matchup against Southwest Baptist on Saturday night (Jan. 19). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The two schools split the season series last year, with each squad winning on its home floor.