By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
LIBERTY, MO - The Missouri Western men's basketball team got down 77-72 with 3:25 left in Tuesday's game at William Jewell after leading by 11 points in the first half.
In the face of adversity, though, the Griffons did not falter.
Missouri Western (4-0) tied the game at 79 with 1:55 to go, and held William Jewell scoreless for the final 1:36.
That eventually led to JaRon Thames' go-ahead basket with 5.6 seconds remaining, lifting the Griffons to an 84-82 win at the Mabee Center in Liberty on Tuesday night.
Down 82-81 with 17 seconds left, Missouri Western brought the ball up the full court with no timeouts remaining. The ball soon went to Thames, who dribbled low on the left elbow, pivoted right and threw up a one-handed floater from about five feet away that was pure.
Thames was fouled on the shot and he made the ensuing free throw, giving the Griffons an 84-82 advantage.
Jewell had one last chance in the final five seconds, but Jordan Jermain's attempt at a walk-off three-pointer bounced off the rim, and Missouri Western handed the Cardinals (4-1) their first loss of the season.
Thames led the Griffons with 19 points to go with seven rebounds, five assists, three steals and a blocked shot.
Julius Dixon finished with 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting, including a 3-of-4 shooting effort from long range. Taye Fields had 15 points and eight boards.
Zion Swader scored 14 points, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc in the second half. Kiani Saxon tallied 12 points on a 5-of-6 shooting clip.
Missouri Western shot 54.4% from the field (31-of-57), including 7-of-13 from three. The Griffons also made 15-of-21 at the free throw line.
Missouri Western dominated on the glass, outrebounding Jewell 38-17, including 12-1 on the offensive glass.
Jewell, who scored wins over MIAA member teams Washburn and Newman just in the last week, made 13-of-30 three-pointers and shot 49.1% overall (27-of-55). The Cardinals were outstanding from the free throw line, connecting on 15-of-17 attempts.
Jermain finished with a game-high 29 points to lead William Jewell. Kobe McKinley finished with 20 points before fouling out in the closing minutes.
Missouri Western has another non-conference game before their MIAA opener on November 30. The Griffons are home this Saturday to host Bethel College (3-4) out of the NAIA.
Tip-off from the MWSU Fieldhouse is set for 3:30. The game will be carried on KFEQ Radio (680, 95.3) with pregame starting at 3.
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