ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Missouri Western men's basketball (18-12, 9-10 MIAA) built a 16-point lead in the first half and hung on down the stretch in an 82-78 win over Newman on Saturday at MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph.
Honoring eight seniors in all, Missouri Western jumped out to 34-18 lead with 9:24 to go in the first half. Newman (15-13, 8-11 MIAA) answered back and tied the game at 40-40 with 1:36 left before halftime.
Zane Nelson hit a three at the top of the key right at the end of the half to put the Griffs up 44-40 at the break.
Missouri Western, though locked in a close game, never lost the lead in the second half. With the score tied at 76-76 and two minutes to play,
Matthew Schneider came off the bench and gave MWSU the lead for good on a layup with 46 seconds to go.
Nelson made four free throws in the final 25 seconds to seal the deal.
Justin Bubak, who fouled out with 2:54 left, had a huge day with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting, including a 5-of-6 effort from long range. Nelson finished with 18 points to go with six rebounds and six assists.
Julius Dixon logged his third double-double of the season and the fourth of his career with 15 points and a career-best 13 rebounds.
Zion Swader had 12 points to go with five assists. Schneider came in and scored 7 points off the bench – all in the second half.
Missouri Western now looks toward the MIAA tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The Griffons are the No. 6 seed and will face No. 3 seed Rogers State on Friday at 2:15 p.m. in quarterfinals.
Worth noting
- Eighteen wins in the regular season are the most for Missouri Western men's basketball since the 2002-03 season.
- Missouri Western men's basketball has now logged back-to-back seasons with 17-plus wins for the first time since 2002-03.
- Eighteen wins are the most in a single season under head coach Will Martin.
- Zane Nelson has reached 1000 points in his NCAA career with Saturday's efforts. He did it in just two seasons – one at Arkansas-Monticello and now one at Missouri Western.
