Men’s basketball lands second place in MIAA conference
Central Missouri State University stopped Missouri Southern’s men’s basketball team from earning a conference championship.
The Lions lost to the Mules 103-86 in the finals of the MIAA Postseason Tournament March 6.
This placed the Lions second in the MIAA.
“They were just making shots,” said Jeremy McCadney, junior guard.
CMSU shot 61.2 percent from the field in the match-up.
The Lions shot only 54.8 percent.
The Mules tied the MIAA tournament record with 17 three-pointers.
The Mules led the Lions 54-32 at the half.
However, the Lions would outscore the Mules in the second half 54-49.
However, it was not enough to take the lead.
Senior forward Orestus Cavness led the Lions in points against the Mules with 29.
He shot 11 of 16 from the field with three three-pointers.
Junior center Jeremie Bond netted 27 points and shot 10 of 11 from the floor.
Southern played Washburn University in the semifinals of the Tournament March 5.
They defeated the Ichabods 86-82.
The Lions started the game with a six-point run.
They would hold the lead for the whole game.
Cavness also led the team in points again, scoring 28.
Hiram Ocasio, senior guard, scored 13 for Southern.
Tyler Ryerson, freshman guard, and Quentin Edwards, junior guard, both netted 10 points.
Cavness and junior center Dan Jones nabbed eight rebounds each in the game.
The team as a whole shot 52.8 percent from the field.
On March 4, the Lions took on border rival Pittsburg State University in the first round of the tournament.
The Lions defeated the Gorillas 63-61.
PSU led Southern 36-18 at the half.
“We buckled down,” McCadney said. “[At halftime] the idea was to cut the lead back at least five to eight points.”
The Lions would do just that and more, outscoring the Gorillas 45-25 in the second half.
PSU’s Wes Thornton had a buzzer three-point shot blocked by Cavness, securing Southern’s victory.
Edwards led the Lions’ scoring against PSU with 15 points, shooting 4 out of 7 from the field.
Ocasio scored 14 points for the team and also shot 4 of 7 from the field.
For the game, Southern had a 39.1 field goal percentage, and PSU shot 38.1 percent.
Cavness’s accomplishments for the year led to a second team pick for the Daktronics All-South Central Region Men’s Basketball Team.
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