After opening the regular season with three wins in the friendly confines of the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center, the Missouri Southern Lions are hitting the road.
The Lions begin a four-game stretch on the road tonight with a trip to Arkansas-Fort Smith for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
Southern then heads to Canyon, Texas for the West Texas A&M Classic on Friday and Saturday before a week-long break ends with a trip to Arkansas Tech.
“It’s good to be 3-0. When you look at our schedule, that’s exactly where we need to be with the next four on the road,” MSSU coach Robert Corn said. “There will be some challenges ahead of us.
“I think we’re starting to learn a little more about our basketball team.”
UAFS will be making its home debut after dropping a pair of road games in Oklahoma — an 87-78 loss at Southwestern Oklahoma State on Nov. 14 and a 74-61 loss at Southeastern Oklahoma State on Saturday.
Corey Copeland, a junior transfer from Missouri State, leads UAFS through two games with a 13-point-per-game average. Dijon Farr — a transfer from the University of Utah — Jake Toupal and Jelani Poston are also averaging in double figures.
Marquis Addison and Jordan Talbert lead MSSU in scoring, combining for 37 points per game. Addison (averaging 22 per game) scored 23 in the season opener, 22 against Avila and 21 against Lincoln.
Greg Renfroe — a redshirt freshman from Nowata (Okla.) High School — has been a welcome addition to the Lions’ roster. The 6-foot-8, 220-pound center is averaging 13 points per game off the bench, including 17 in Saturday’s win over Lincoln.
“There’s no doubt that Greg has really played well coming off the bench,” Corn said. “He gives us that inside presence that you have to have in order to be successful.”
And Corn said Renfroe and the Lions’ other big men could get even more scoring opportunities with some work from the guards.
“We have to make sure we do a better job of getting angles,” he said. “I think (Renfroe) was open a few times (on Saturday) and we weren’t able to get him the ball because of our angle. We need to get him as many touches as possible.”
After this road swing, the Lions have just one more date — a home game against Central Bible —before MIAA play begins with a trip to Truman State on Dec. 8.
That only heightens the importance of this four-game stretch.
“We’ve got to play a lot better with these next four being on the road,” Corn said. “We were able to overcome some things playing at home in a good environment. We won’t be able to allow ourselves that luxury.”
Missouri Southern Sports
MSSU hits the road after three wins at home
- Missouri Southern Sports
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Lions eliminated at regional
After a 14-inning heartbreaking defeat late Thursday night to Minnesota State, there was a question as to how Missouri Southern would respond on such a short turnaround.
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'No one deserved to lose' Southern opener against Mavs
It’s hard to imagine a bigger emotional roller-coaster than the one the Missouri Southern baseball team rode the past week.
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Lions squeezed in 14-inning loss to Minnesota State
An instant classic.
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Lions open regional play against top-seeded Minnesota State
For most of March and April, Minnesota State endured a long winter as it gradually made its case for the home-field advantage that goes along with being the No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II Central Region baseball tournament.
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Lions qualify 12 for track nationals
Missouri Southern has qualified a dozen athletes — six men and six women — for the NCAA Division II Outdoor Track and Field Championships, it was announced Tuesday.
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Times set for MSSU's regional tourney
MIAA Tournament champion Missouri Southern will travel to Mankato, Minn., today by bus in preparation for the six-team Central Region tournament at Franklin Rogers Park.
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MSSU volleyball coach Trish Knight 'relieved of duties'
Missouri Southern volleyball coach Trish Knight was relieved of her coaching duties on Monday, according to a release from the MSSU athletics department.
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MSSU seeded sixth in Mankato regional
MIAA champion Missouri Southern will face No. 1 seed Minnesota State-Mankato (35-8) in the first round of the Central Regional tournament Thursday at Mankato.
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Ryan's three-run blast lifts Lions to MIAA title
Sam Ryan’s three-run home run with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning brought home the MIAA Championship for Missouri Southern in a 6-3 victory Saturday against No. 5 Missouri Western.
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Bates' gem lifts MSSU into MIAA title round
Ryan Bates pitched Missouri Southern’s second complete game in two days Friday, and the Lions advanced to the championship game of the MIAA Tournament by defeating No. 5 Missouri Western 4-3 at CommunityAmerica Ballpark.
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