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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Barnes leads Lions to
75-62 win over Northeastern State Joplin, Mo.. - Myosha Barnes scored a team-high 18 points as the Missouri Southern Lions used a big second half to improve to 3-0 and defeat the Northeastern State RiverHawks 75-62 Saturday afternoon (Nov. 22) at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The RiverHawks led 31-29 at the half, but the Lions out-scored NSU 18-10 during the opening eight minutes of the second half. India Wood nailed three treys to fuel the charge that put the Lions up 47-41 with 12:13 remaining. Southern then extended the lead to double-digits with an 11-3 spurt after a layup from Lindsey Davis gave the Lions a 58-44 advantage. After Jolea Apon hit from beyond the arc to give the Lions' their largest lead of the game at 63-47, the RiverHawks made a push with a quick 5-0 run over the next 30 seconds to trim the lead to 11 with 5:08 left. But Michelle Hedgecock responded with a jumper and a pair of free throws in the next minute of play to put the Lions back on top 67-52 with just 4:30 remaining in the game. The Lions (3-0) never let NSU closer than 11 the remainder of the contest. The opening half was a back-and-forth affair that featured five ties and five lead changes. With the Lions trailing 13-11, Davis hit from long-range with 9:36 left in the first half to give the Lions' their first lead since the opening bucket of the game. The RiverHawks (1-3) later took their largest lead of the half at 27-21 with 2:36 left before settling for a two-point advantage at the break. Barnes' 18 points came on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the foul line. Hedgecock scored 14 on 5-of-6 shooting while making all four of her free-throw attempts and grabbing eight rebounds. Danielle DeVader added eight points and recorded seven boards. Christy Nitz led the RiverHawks with a game-high 20 points, including 6-of-8 from the floor and 8-of-11 at the charity stripe. The Lions' defensive effort forced the RiverHawks into a 36.4 percent (20-of-55) shooting clip overall from the field and only 29.4 percent (5-of-17) from beyond the arc. Southern shot 46.3 percent (25-of-54) for the game, including a red-hot 59.1 percent (13-of-22) in the second half. The Lions will next host their Thanksgiving Classic with matchups against Evangel on Friday night (Nov. 28) at 7 p.m., followed by a date with former MIAA rival Missouri S&T (formerly Missouri-Rolla) the following afternoon (Nov. 29) at 3 p.m.
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