By Jim Henry
jhenry@joplinglobe.com
Jason Adams’ 23 points led four players in double figures as Missouri Southern rolled past Southwestern (Kan.) College 100-67 Saturday night to conclude the Freeman Sports Medicine/Chris Tucker Memorial Classic on Saturday night at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.
Adams, a sophomore forward from Carthage, was 8-of-11 from the floor, 3-of-4 from 3-point range and 4-of-6 at the foul line. Adams, who also had eight rebounds and three steals, scored 12 points in the second half, including four during a 9-0 run that began the Lions’ final breakaway.
The Lions 5-0 entering Wednesday night’s MIAA opener against Truman State, saw a 47-30 halftime lead sliced to 53-46 on Travis Thurau’s steal and dunk with 15:46 remaining.
But in the next four minutes, the Lions regained a double-digit lead as Adams’ two free throws and dunk off a pass from Chris Scruggs marked the beginning and end of a 9-0 run for a 62-46 lead with 11:44 to play. In between, Scruggs’ nifty one-handed catch of a Patrick Hester pass led to a layup, Hester scored after a rebound and Rich Borries hit the front end of a two-shot foul.
“We didn’t do a good job closing out the first half, letting them go on an 8-0 run,” Lions head coach Robert Corn said. “We were looking at a different lineup at the time, and you would hope the guys at the beginning of the second half would be able to gain control again. But to Southwestern’s credit, they came out and got a little confidence going. They hit some shots, and we were standing around looking at each other.
“But then we put T.J. Williams and Patrick Hester in, and they brought us tremendous energy. They created havoc, and we got things headed in the right direction.”
The Lions continued to pull away, leading 71-49 with 10 minutes left, 79-52 on Adams’ dunk off a lob pass from DaRell Crittendon with 7:40 left and 85-54 after Adams’ steal and slam with 5:37 left.
Even with the outcome long decided, the game managed a bit of last-second drama.
The Lions held a 98-64 lead and were content to dribble out the clock, but the Moundbuilders fouled Chris Baker with 2.9 seconds left. Baker, a freshman, made both charities to put the Lions at the century mark, and for good measure, the Moundbuilders’ Brayden Crowe nailed a 35-footer at the buzzer.
Guard Skyler Bowlin contributed 15 points for the Lions, and Travis Jones and Keane Thomann both scored 11. Jones matched Adams’ three treys, and Thomann also snared 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.
Stuart Ballard topped the Moundbuilders (3-6) with 13 points. Ballard, 6-6 junior, made all three of his 3-point attempts, and Southwestern was 11-of-29 as a team from beyond the arc.
The Lions shot 48 percent from the floor and converted 35-of-44 free throws. Southwestern was 25-of-58 from the field (43 percent) and 6-of-15 at the line. The Moundbuilders had 23 turnovers, nine more than the Lions.
Tucker Scholarship
At halftime, Harvey Tucker, the father of former Lions All-American Chris Tucker, presented a $5,000 contribution from Dr. Bradley Reeves to endow a men’s basketball scholarship that will bear Chris Tucker’s name.
“For someone like Brad Reeves to step up and donate the money to create the Chris Tucker Scholarship, that tells you what type of young man Chris was and how much he meant to this community,” Corn said.
