Cam Martin scored 30 and the 21st ranked Missouri Southern men’s basketball team took out visiting Rogers State 88-82 on Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Southern (4-2, 4-2 MIAA) was led by Martin’s night with 30 points on 9-of-14 from the field and 12-of-12 from the free throw line. Martin added eight rebounds and three assists to go with a pair of blocks.
Winston Dessesow scored 18 minutes as he played the entire game adding four assists and four rebounds. Lawson Jenkins scored 14, while Christian Bundy added 11 points and nine rebounds.
RSU (1-3, 1-3 MIAA) had four in double-figures, led by 21 from Jett Sternberger.
The Lions jumped out to a 6-1 early lead before RSU rattled off six-straight points to go up 7-6 with 16:22 left in the first half. The Hillcats led 21-16 with 11:31 to go when back-to-back threes from Dessesow and Lawson Jenkins pushed the Lions back on top 22-21 with 10:32 on the clock.
Another three from Dessesow a minute later increased the Lions’ lead to four (25-21), but a three from RSU with 6:17 on the clock put the Hillcats up 30-29 with 6:17 to go, a lead they would not give up for the rest of the half as Southern trailed 45-42 at the break.
Both teams traded baskets to start the second half. A jumper from Martin with 16 minutes to go gave the Lions a 54-43 lead, but the Hillcats answered with a three the next rip down to go right back on top.
RSU led 58-54 with 15 minutes to go, but a pair of freebies from Martin with 11:33 on the clock put Southern back on top 64-63. RSU tied it at 72 with 7:48 on the clock, but a layup from Jenkins with 4:55 left put the Lions back on top 76-74 and the Lions would not relinquish the lead.
A huge block from Bundy with time winding down started a fast-break that led to a pair of free throws from Jenkins to push the Southern lead to six (88-82) which proved to be the final tally.
The Lions shot 52 percent from the field and 91 percent from the free throw line. The Lions had a 38-22 advantage in the paint and out rebounded the Hillcats 40-23, including 12-5 on the offensive boards. The game featured 11 lead changes and 12 times with a tie.
Southern will be back in action on December 17 when the Lions play host to Northwest Missouri. Tip off from Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center is slated for 7:30 pm.
