After two exhibition losses to Division-I opponents Oral Roberts and Mizzou, the Missouri Southern men’s basketball team got back on track last week with a big win at home against John Brown University.

“I was a little worried going into the John Brown game because you never know how you’re going to respond,” Head Coach Robert Corn said.

Corn’s concerns seemed legitimate considering the Golden Eagles are a top 25 team in the NAIA.

The Lions responded well, however, beating the Golden Eagles in almost every statistical category by the end of the game. In fact, the Golden Eagles were out rebounded 45 to 27.

“I think the fact that we came out and played well and that we led by 17 at halftime, we were up 32 at one point in the ball game, and then we kind of let things slide,” Corn said. 

“Our defense wasn’t quite where it was early on, but there’s no doubt that from a conference standpoint that helped our confidence.”

The result was due in no small part to the play of the team’s new leaders, junios Marquis Addison and Jordan Talbert.

“Our expectations have never gotten smaller,” Addison said. 

“We still want to win conference and compete in the national tournament. That’s ultimately our goal.”

Addison said he and Talbert had joked in the past about being the future of the team. The future is here, and it seems bright with both scoring more than 20 points in the season debut.

The team will always miss players like Skyler Bowlin, Jason Adams and Keane Thomann, all of whom are playing professionally in Europe, but Addison and Talbet plan to fill their shoes as best they possibly can.

“Me and Jordan both, the last couple of years, played behind All-Americans obviously,” Addison said. 

“We both made the starting lineup our first two years, but we obviously didn’t get to see the amount of shot selection and extended minutes we get to see now as team leaders. I feel like we’re doing well right now, and we’ve just got to keep leading our team.”

The junior duo will lead their team in two home games this weekend, first at 2 p.m. Friday afternoon against Avila, then again at 7 p.m. Saturday night against MIAA foe Lincoln. Both games are part of the Freeman Sports/Chris Tucker Memorial Classic.

Chris Tucker was a Lion basketball player who died in a car accident in 1994 after an All-Conference, All-Region and All-American campaign in his senior season.

Tucker leads Southern all-time in blocks with 179 and holds the school single game record for blocks with nine.

He still ranks in the top 10 all time in scoring for the Lions.