Southern sweeps the competition in Oklahoma
Senior Kenya Wilson-Brown makes a no look pass across the face of senior Sharese Jones against Minnesota State on Robert Corn Court inside The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on Nov. 18, 2015. The Lions won the game 70-58. Brown scored seven points to go along with four assists. Jones scored 17 points, three assists, and three blocks. Jones is averaging 20 points per game the first three games of the season. Southern has started the season 3-0.
The Missouri Southern women’s basketball team hit the road to open their season in the Great American Conference/Mid-American Intercollegiate Athletics Association Challenge hosted by Southwestern Oklahoma State University. The Lions would see two GAC opponents. On Nov. 13 the Lions would face Oklahoma Baptist University and the following day the Southwestern Oklahoma State.
To open the season, Southern would face OBU. Led by senior Sharese Jones, the Lions got the season opening victory, 72-63. Jones tallied a double-double scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
OBU took an 8-5 lead in the first quarter and kept that lead until the 2:14 mark in the second quarter. At the 2:14 mark, Southern regained the lead after a fast break layup from Jones. From there, the Lions went on a 9-2 run and took eight point lead (45-37) into the half. The eight point lead was the in result of a 20-7 run started by the Lions at 6:58 (30-25 OBU) mark.
It was a low scoring third quarter as the Lions were able to stretch their lead to 10. The third quarter ended, 57-47.
In the fourth, OBU would get their deficit down to six but Southern would hang on for a nine point victory.
After dropping 45 points in the first half, the Lions could only score half of that in the second half. Southern shot 40 percent from the floor and 29 percent from three point range. New addition and St Louis Community College transfer Deb Holcomb scored 10 points in her Southern debut. Sophomore Kayla Kivinski added nine points and the team’s only block on the day. Southern out rebounded OBU 42-30.
The following day, the Lions would see Southwestern Oklahoma State. The Lions lead the series over SWOSU 3-2. These two schools first met in 1982 in the NAIA National Championship in Kansas City, Mo. SWOSU won that meeting. The last meeting between these two took place in 2013 inside Leggett & Platt. After dropping the season opener to Drury, the Lions started an eight game winning streak beginning with SWOSU.
SWOSU lost their season opener to No. 1 ranked Emporia State.
Southern trailed after one quarter of play, 20-19. In the second, the Lions held SWOUS to only six points as the Lions took a 38-26 lead into the half. Jones scored 20 point in the first half.
The third quarter was all SWOSU as they outscored the Lions 22-12 and trailed by only two heading into the fourth quarter. The Lions trailed by six with 3:26 left in the game. Just 13 seconds later, Holcomb sank a three pointer to cut the lead in half. A layup from Jade Jones put SWOSU back up by five, 66-61. After a Jordan Dinyer cut the lead in half, a three from Holcomb tied the game at 66-66 with just over 1:30 to play. Janae Coffee of SWOSU put in her own miss to give SWOSU a two point lead. Holcomb, once again, drained another three pointer to give the Lions a 69-68 lead. Holcomb assisted Bri Shavers on a layup with 15 seconds and that iced the game as the Lions got the victory, 71-68.
Jones finished with 24 points shooting 9-17. Holcomb went 9-20 from the floor, 4-8 from downtown, and three assist.
The Lions will be back in action tomorrow as Southern travels to Kirksville, Mo. to face Truman. Tip-off slated for 1 p.m.
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