Almost five minutes passed in the Dec. 7 game before Missouri Southern’s Dan Jones, junior forward/center, scored the Lions’ first basket.

Head men’s basketball coach Robert Corn said he was disappointed in the men’s 75-61 loss to Northeastern (Oklahoma) State University.

“We’re very disappointed in the way we’re playing right now,” Corn said. “We’re not playing with the effort and energy necessary.”

He said this has been Southern’s worst start in 16 years.

“We just haven’t stepped up and met the challenge,”

The Lions’ top scorer in the game was Quentin Edwards, junior guard, with 13 total points with two out of five three-pointers and three out of four free throws.

Orestus Cavness and Caleb Engelken, both senior forwards, had 10 points each.

“I was hopeful we’d come out and play with fire and energy,” Corn said. “And we didn’t do that.”

The Redmen led the Lions 30-19 at halftime. In the second half, the Lions failed to score a basket for more than three minutes. Edwards scored on a layup, followed by another layup 12 seconds later by Hiram Ocasio, senior guard, after he stole the ball from an NSU player.

Ocasio led the Lions in both assists, with six, and steals, with four.

He said he thought the men shot poorly. The Lion’s field goal percentage was 42.6 compared to NSU’s 55.8 percent.

The Lions now stand at 2-5 overall. They next play at the Pittsburg State Classic Saturday against Drury University. Sunday, the men play the Oklahoma School of Arts & Sciences.

Dec. 19-20, the men head to the Hoop ‘N’ Surf Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Lions began conference play Dec. 29 against Truman State University at home in Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.