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November 19, 2009

MSSU men open against Missouri S&T

By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

Beginning his 21st year as Missouri Southern men’s basketball coach, Robert Corn still gets excited as the season opener arrives.

“If that changes, then you need to do something else,” he said. “To be successful in anything you do, that fire has to be burning in the stomach. If the fire goes out, you have a problem. My fire is still burning.”

The Lions tip off their season this weekend in the Chatters/Comfort Inn Classic at Pittsburg State’s John Lance Arena.

Missouri Southern faces former MIAA foe Missouri S&T; in the classic opener tonight at 5, and Pittsburg State plays Haskell at approximately 7. The Lions and Gorillas switch opponents for Saturday’s session, which also starts at 5.

The Lions are the only team in the field yet to play a regular-season game.

Missouri S&T;’s Miners lost Monday night at home to Harding 75-70. A week earlier Harding won 80-77 at Division I Arkansas-Little Rock, the defending Sun Belt Conference champion.

Pittsburg State won its opener 72-49 over Sterling on Tuesday night, and Haskell is 1-6 after an 81-72 loss Tuesday night to Saint Mary. Haskell’s win was 68-54 over Tabor on Nov. 13.

Bryce Foster, 6-foot-4 freshman guard, tallied 18 points to lead four Miners in double figures against Harding. Casey Noll, 6-7 senior, had 15 points, 6-2 senior Mike Malat 13 and 5-11 senior A.J. Mandani 10.

“They have several guys who can score, and they play extremely hard and with good toughness,” Corn said. “They will be physical. We have to make sure we match that.”

The Lions are playing for the first time since last Saturday’s 103-81 exhibition victory over Livin’ The Dream. The Lions trailed by five points with eight minutes left but outscored LTD 27-4 over the final seven minutes.

“We have to guard better. That’s where it starts with us,” Corn said. “Our halfcourt defense has to get a lot better. I’m disappointed in the fact Livin’ The Dream shot 48 percent against us. They had a lot of wide-open looks. No. 2, we have to take care of the ball better. We had 19 turnovers. We just have been very careless with the ball.

“Both of those were areas of concern for us. After being on the floor against outside competition, the film sessions mean a little more. You can show what you’re doing against each other, but it’s not the same thing as going against outside competition.”

The Lions return four starters and all but two players from last year’s team that finished 19-12.

Junior guard Skyler Bowlin averaged 14.4 points, and forward Jason Adams added 10.5 points and was named MIAA Freshman of the Year, the award that Bowlin won the previous season.

Guard Mariun Price and forward DaRell Crittendon, the Lions’ two seniors, return to the starting lineup. Price averaged 9.9 points per game last season, Crittendon 8.8.

The Miners are picked fourth in the five-team Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division preseason poll behind Rockhurst, Drury and Missouri-St. Louis.

The Miners’ loss to Harding was their first in a home season opener since a 63-62 setback to Missouri Southern on Nov. 29, 1988.

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