Missouri Southern (12-6, 6-3 MIAA) took out a competitive Northwest Missouri squad (13-5, 6-4 MIAA) on Wednesday night by a final of 77-65 at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center, moving into fourth position in the conference.

It was yet another win for the Lions, a team that was busy over winter break, playing multiple contests against conference opponents as they looked to establish better footing in the MIAA standings after beginning the year with a few head-scratching losses.

After losing key talent all over the floor from a season ago, it was obvious that cohesion would be a point of concern, but after a 5-3 start to open the year, the Lions have now won seven of their last 10. Thats a clear sign that the rookie head coach and his green group of players are finding their stride.

“I think it’s more of just getting everybody together,” said junior Brandon Pines. “Our depth is so good that if everybody is on the same page, then we can be a dangerous team come tournament time.”

For the Lions, the emergence of incoming transfer Prince Taevaunn has been substantial. The junior has cemented himself as the go-to man on the offensive end, shown by his lofty statistical performances since the start of December, most notably the 38-point explosion in the loss to Fort Hays on Jan. 3.

“Tay [Taevaunn] does what it takes to win whether it’s scoring, rebounding or guarding,” said senior Lane Barlow. “Some games he will lead us in scoring, sometimes other categories.”

As the Lions continue throughout the rest of the season, the team will undoubtedly continue to grow, and grow they must — that is, if they are to raise another trophy this year.

Next up for the Lions are the Griffons of Missouri Western (8-8, 4-5 MIAA) as Southern hits the road for a 3:30 p.m. showdown tomorrow.