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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Apon, DeVader,
Henderson shine in 74-59 Senior Day win over Northwest Missouri Joplin, Mo. - Jolea Apon, Danielle DeVader and Randi Henderson each came up with huge games as the Missouri Southern Lions celebrated Senior Day with a 74-59 win over the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Saturday afternoon (Feb. 28) at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Apon scored a career-high 28 points and a career-best seven threes to lead the Lions, while DeVader tallied a career-high 25 and nailed five treys. Henderson added career-highs with nine points, 10 assists and five steals. The game was tied 43-43 at the 11:12 mark of the second half when Apon hit two from beyond the arc and scored eight points to fuel a 15-3 run that gave the Lions a 58-46 advantage with 6:49 left. Rickeya McElroy scored four points as part of a 6-0 Bearcat run that cut the lead to 58-52. DeVader and Apon refused to let this one slip away and combined for all 16 points of a 16-4 run that put the game away and gave Southern a commanding 74-56 lead with just 1:09 remaining. The first half was exciting as both squads combined for 15 threes. The Bearcats jumped out to an early 8-2 lead on a pair on treys by Meghan Brue and Micaela Uriell. Threes by DeVader and Henderson helped the Lions answer with an 8-2 spurt of their own for an 11-10 lead at the 12:14 mark of the first half. The score was tied 16-16 when Apon hit the first of her four threes in the first half to put the Lions back on top with 7:16 left. Another three by DeVader gave the Lions a 26-19 edge at the 5:50 point. Northwest trimmed the lead to 28-24 on a trey from Uriell before consecutive threes from Apon gave the Lions their biggest lead of the half at 34-26. Shelly Martin hit three treys to key a 9-2 Bearcat run to end the first half, including one at the buzzer that cut the Lion lead to 36-35 at the half. In addition to her point output, DeVader also had a team-best seven boards. Martin led the Bearcats with 12 points, all coming in the first half. Brue finished with 11 and had a team-high eight boards. Overall, the Lions hit 13 threes, just one shy of the team record. Apon's seven treys are two short of the individual record. Pittsburg State defeated Nebraska-Omaha today 77-70 in Omaha and with the UNO loss, the Lions secure the fifth seed in the 2009 MIAA Tournament. Southern will face off with Central Missouri in the 2:30 game on Friday, March 6 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. |