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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Lions improve to 6-0 by knocking off St. Edward's for the second time
this season, 60-42 Joplin, Mo. - Ivaney Marquez (Valencia, Venezuela) scored a career-high 16 points and the Missouri Southern Lions used another inspiring defensive performance to improve to 6-0 by defeating the St. Edward's Hilltoppers for the second time this season, 60-42 Saturday afternoon (Dec. 1) at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions also knocked off the Hilltoppers 60-39 back on Nov. 16 at the St. Edward's Shootout in Austin, Texas in the season-opener for both squads. Southern came out of the gates a bit sluggish, missing their first seven shots and falling into an early 7-0 hole with 14:01 left in the first half. But Trice Bonner (Mobile, Ala.) knocked down a three-pointer for the Lions' first field-goal with 13:07 left in the half and that sparked a 7-0 Lions spurt that tied the game. Tynesha Pierce (Houston, Texas) then hit her first two career three-pointers to lead a 13-5 run as the Lions jumped ahead 20-12 with 7:42 remaining in the first half. The Lions led by as many as 10 in the opening half before taking a 31-23 advantage at halftime. After the Hilltoppers trimmed the lead to 37-31, Marquez made three consecutive layups and contributed two steals as the Lions outscored STEU 8-0 over the next 3:06 to lead 45-31 with 10:45 left in the game. The Hilltoppers (2-5) got no closer than 11 the rest of the way. Southern was able to pull away thanks to a red-hot 59.1 percent (13-of-22) shooting clip in the second half. The Lions also stifled the Hilltoppers into a 16.7 percent (4-of-24) percentage in the second half and only 20.9 percent (9-of-43) for the game. Marquez hit 7-of-10 from the field and also led the Lions with seven rebounds. Fatai Hala'api'api (Maui, Hawaii) reached double-figure scoring with 10 on 5-of-8 shooting. Haley Tidwell scored a team-high 14 for STEU and Whitney Regian contributed 11. Sara Head scored five and pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for the Hilltoppers. The Hilltoppers did hold a 38-32 edge on the boards, including a 16-11 advantage on the offensive glass. The Lions will next play in Goodwell, Okla.) against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Friday night (Dec. 7) at 7 p.m. Southern is 5-1 all-time vs. OPSU and has won five straight in the series.
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