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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Wood, Barnes lead the
way in 81-55 win over Evangel Joplin, Mo.. - India Wood and Myosha Barnes combined for 42 points as the Missouri Southern Lions ran their record to 4-0 in an 81-55 win over the Evangel Lady Crusaders in action at the Fairfield Inn/Pizza Hut Thanksgiving Classic Friday night (Nov. 28) at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions took charge of the contest by out-scoring the Lady Crusaders 14-0 to begin the second half that turned a slim two-point lead into a 16-point cushion with 16:22 remaining in the game. Barnes scored seven during that span, including converting a three-point play to cap the spurt and put the Lions up 50-34. The Lions expanded the lead to 22 on a layup by Michelle Hedgecock for a 59-37 advantage with 11:35 left. After Evangel came within 59-43 with a 6-2 burst, Randi Henderson nailed a three-pointer to start a 12-0 explosion that gave the Lions a commanding 71-43 lead with 6:24 remaining. The opening half was close throughout, with four ties and seven lead changes. The biggest lead either squad could muster was a six-point edge by the Lady Crusaders on two occasions, with the last coming at 26-20 with 7:30 left. The Lions then went on a 14-5 run over the next 5:45 to take a 34-31 lead before settling for a 36-34 edge at the half. Wood scored a game-high 22 for the Lions, hitting 9-of-12 overall and 4-of-6 from three-point distance. Barnes had 20 and was a perfect 8-of-8 from the field. Barnes also tied for the team-lead with six assists. Danielle DeVader reached double-figures with 11 points, while Henderson also dished out six assists. Kara Blankenship went 7-of-8 from the field for 17 points to lead Evangel. The Lions shot 57.1 percent (32-of-56) overall from the floor, including a red-hot 62.1 percent (18-of-29) in the second half. The Lady Crusaders was 38.8 percent (19-of-49) overall, but were held to a 23.1 percent (6-of-26) in the second half. Southern held a 34-28 rebounding edge and out-scored the Lady Crusaders by a whopping 42-26 in the paint. The Lions will conclude action in its Thanksgiving Classic with a matchup with former MIAA rival Missouri S&T (formerly Missouri-Rolla) tomorrow (Nov. 29) at 3 p.m. MST narrowly defeated Pittsburg State 78-75.
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