ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western men's basketball (13-6, 5-4 MIAA) collected a dominant 81-62 win over Central Missouri (9-9, 4-5 MIAA) on Tuesday afternoon from Tom Smith Court. With the win, the Griffons collected their first regular season sweep over the Mules since the 2019-20 season.
Like in the matchup 11 days ago in Warrensburg, the two teams opened the contest with a back-and-forth battle in the first half. However, the Griffons concluded the half with a strong 11-2 run, capped by a remarkable three-quarter court three at the buzzer from senior
Julius Dixon, which gave them a 41-29 advantage at halftime.
The momentum from the first half carried into the second with an early 8-0 run that was capped off with a slam dunk from senior
Zion Swader. Led by senior
Zane Nelson's perfect 4-for-4 shooing frame in the second half, the Griffons were able to extend their lead to as many as 23 points en route to the 19-point victory.
Western shot the ball well throughout the game, finishing with a shooting percentage of 52% after connecting on 28-of-54 attempts from the field. MWSU made 15 three-pointers, the highest number since achieving 18 from beyond the arc against No. 8 St. Thomas Aquinas on November 7, 2021.
Additionally, the Griffons managed the ball well, recording 18 assists and only five turnovers. They scored 28 points off 17 UCM turnovers while not allowing any points off their own turnovers.
Nelson led the team with a season-high 22 points on a 7-of-10 shooing effort. Dixon was nearly automatic from behind the after, hitting 4-of-6 from behind the arc to finish with 15. Swader also finished with 15 points, while senior
Justin Bubak added 13.
On the opposite side of the court, Elijah Farr led Central Missouri with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double. Kyran Tilley, who started the game a perfect 4-for-4 from three, finished second on the team with 16 points.
Missouri Western will return to the MWSU Fieldhouse on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. to face No. 1 Washburn. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and streamed on the MIAA Network.
