Just 10 days after setting a new career high for himself, Dan Jones did it again.

Jones, senior center/forward, put up 29 points for the men’s basketball team in its 87-73 loss at Emporia State University Feb. 25. He set his previous career high at 28 points Feb. 15 at home against Pittsburg State University.

“Dan had very good game,” said Robert Corn, head men’s basketball coach. “He caught the ball in the paint, and he did a great job sealing inside.”

Corn said the team played a large part in Jones’ success.

“Our guys did a real good job of getting him the basketball in a position where he could score,” he said.

Jones also hit 11 of 15 from the free-throw line to add to his total.

The Lions started the game slowly, ending the first half down at 47-23, but fought back in the second.

“We really played poorly the first 20 minutes, and didn’t do a very good job running the floor and did a poor job rebounding,” Corn said. “As a result, we had a big deficit at halftime.”

Southern out scored the Hornets 50-40 in the second half, but Corn said the men weren’t able to make the big stops they needed, and the deficit was too large to make up.

“We shot 62 percent in the second half, and a lot of that was the result of our abilities to get the ball inside that Dan was able to finish,” Corn said. “If you look at our stats, we had 20 assists and 26 field goals, that’s a pretty good statistic right there.”

In the game, Myron Hodge, junior forward/center, and Ed Miles, junior forward, followed Jones in scoring, adding 10 points each. Hodge put up two from three-point range.

Of those 20 assists, Quentin Edwards, senior guard, had the most with seven. Edwards also had six steals against ESU.

Daron Harris, sophomore guard, had five, and Tyler Ryerson, sophomore guard, was next with four.

The Lions grabbed 22 rebounds to the Hornets 42, and Hodge grabbed the most for Southern. He had six boards. Jones was next with three.

With a Washburn University loss to Central Missouri State University Feb. 25, the Lions clinched a berth into this year’s MIAA Postseason Tournament. They will play CMSU at 6 p.m. Friday at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.

Corn said, at this time in the season, scouting is done and each team knows what the other will do, so one key will be to stay within the “framework of your offense.”

The other key will be a solid defense, Corn said.

“I think anytime you go to a tournament where it’s a win-or-go-home situation, you’ve got to start with your defense,” he said.

Southern finished second in the tournament last year, behind CMSU.

“Our guys are excited about playing,” Corn said. “Last year we went on a nice little run, [and we] understand that was last year, and this is a new year.”

He said he would like the fans to go to Kansas City this weekend to support both the men’s and women’s basketball teams.