By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
Missouri Western led by as many as 10 points in the first half and led 66-58 with 4:02 remaining, but Missouri Southern (14-12, 11-9 MIAA) ended the game on a 13-2 run and stunned the Griffons, 71-68, on Monday night at the MWSU Fieldhouse in the Griffons' final home game of the season.
The Griffons (13-15, 9-11 MIAA) made just one of their last six shots in the game and made just one of their last 11 three-point attempts after starting 5-of-6 from beyond the arc in the first half.
Missouri Southern, who led for only 3:41 of Monday's game, went up 68-66 with 1:23 to go off of a Stan Scott layup, completing a 10-0 run. Will Eames tied the game at 68 with 59 seconds to go off of a long range jumper.
The Griffons had the ball, down 69-68, with 25 seconds left. Coming out of a full timeout, the Griffons let about 18 seconds run off the clock before Eames took a right-handed floater that missed off the front of the rim from just a few feet away.
Southern's R.J. Smith rebounded and was then immediately fouled. In the double-bonus, Smith made both free throws, giving the Lions a 71-68 lead with 7.5 seconds remaining.
Out of a 30-second timeout, Q Mays trotted the ball up the floor and stopped for a three on the right wing that missed well short. Missouri Southern got the rebound as time expired, completing their comeback and deflating Western's momentum in their home finale.
"When you have one or two guys who aren't on board with the scout or the plan, it's hard to execute it," Missouri Western coach Will Martin said. "That's what you saw tonight. We all have to be on the same page. It's nobody's fault, and I take full ownership and accountability. But, when you're playing games like this, everyone has to be on the same page.
"The last minute-and-a-half, we weren't on the same page and it cost us the game."
Avery Taggart scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Lions to victory, including a 5-of-9 effort from beyond the arc. Stan Scott had 18 points and four rebounds.
Caleb Bennett, playing in his final home game as a Griffon, led his team with 17 points, including 3-of-5 shooting from three. Will Eames had his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Q Mays had 12 points and five assists.
Missouri Western rounds out the regular season this week on the road, traveling to No. 22 Fort Hays State (21-4, 16-4 MIAA) Wednesday and Nebraska-Kearney (11-15 overall, 7-13 MIAA) Friday. Both games will start at 7:30 following the women's matchups.
Monday's loss also drops the Griffon men to ninth place in the MIAA standings - just one game out of 10th. The top 10 teams in the conference standings advance to the MIAA tournament in Kansas City Mar. 2-6. Seeds 7-10 will have play-in games on the 2nd.
"The ramifications are real," Martin said. "There's no question about it. We have two big games, and you have to go on the road and try to steal one from Hays. Then, you play a tough Kearney team who shoots the ball really well on their senior night."
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