ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Missouri Western State Men's Basketball shot 50% from beyond the arc on the way to an 83-71 exhibition win against the Benedictine Ravens at home Friday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The Griffons had five players score in double figures, led by JaRon Thames, who had 15 points. Josh Book added 14 points off of the bench, and Julius Dixon chipped in as well with 13 points and nine rebounds.

After falling behind 12-7, Missouri Western went on a 7-0 run with 11:08 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Book, to take a 14-12 lead. The Griffons then added 12 points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 43-29 advantage. Missouri Western relied on its 3-point shooting in the period, knocking down eight shots to account for 24 of its 43 points.

Missouri Western started tacking on points in the second half almost immediately, going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Book's jumper, to grow the lead to 51-29 with 16:37 to go in the contest. The Ravens narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Griffons still cruised the rest of the way for the 83-71 win. Missouri Western took care of business in the paint, recording 24 of its 40 points in the lane.

Missouri Western collected 36 rebounds in Friday's game compared to Benedictine's 25, led by Dixon's nine boards. The Griffons also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 10 rebounds into 14 second-chance points.

Missouri Western forced 13 Benedictine turnovers. The Griffons turned those takeaways into 14 points on the other end of the floor. Matthew Schneider led the way individually with two steals.

GAME NOTES

• The Griffons made half of their attempts from 3-point range, knocking down 10 of 20 shots.
• Missouri Western never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
• The Missouri Western bench made an impact by adding 37 points to its scoring output.
• Five Missouri Western players scored 10 or more points.
• Book and Reese Glover came off the bench to score 14 and 11 points, respectively.
• Missouri Western State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 10 offensive boards in the game.