Lions climb to #5 in regional rankings

JOPLIN, Mo. – (WATCH) The Missouri Southern women’s basketball team is up two spots to #5 in the Central Regional rankings this week. The top 8 teams in reach region will make the NCAA Division II national tournament after conference tournaments finish up.

The Lions are 20-5 overall and have won 13 straight games. They’re currently tied with Fort Hays State for 1st place in the MIAA.

RELEASE FROM MISSOURI SOUTHERN ATHLETICS:

The Missouri Southern women’s basketball program moved up to fifth in the second release of the 2022 NCAA Division II Central Region rankings that came out on Wednesday by the NCAA office. The Lions are one of five MIAA teams listed amongst the top 10 teams in the region at this point of the season. The top eight teams from each region will advance to the NCAA DII Tournament. Southern has not made a regional appearance since the 1995-96 season. Currently the Lions are on a 13-game winning streak, tied for the longest in the region, with wins over three WBCA ranked teams during the streak. Southern is currently tied with Fort Hays State in first place of the MIAA standings. This year’s NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship will be back to a normal field of 64 teams made up of eight eight-team regionals. The top seed in each region will have the opportunity to host the first three rounds of the tournament (March 11-14) before the eight regional champions meet up in Birmingham, Ala. for the Elite Eight (March 21-25). In the Central Region, the conference champions from the MIAA, Northern Sun and Great American Conference receive an automatic bid with the rest of the field filled with the top five remaining teams at-large. Final selections for the 2022 NCAA Division II Central Region Championships will be announced on Sunday, March 6 at 9 p.m. CT on NCAA.com.

CENTRAL
Rank School Overall DII Record In-Region Record
1 Fort Hays State 21-3 21-3
2 St. Cloud State 21-3 21-3
3 Minnesota Duluth 21-4 21-4
4 Southwestern Oklahoma State 24-4 24-4
5 Missouri Southern 19-5 19-5
6 Minnesota State Mankato 19-5 19-5
7 Nebraska-Kearney 18-6 18-6
8 Missouri Western 19-6 19-6
9 Central Missouri 16-10 15-10
10 Harding 17-8 17-8

MSSU men snap skid with road win at Missouri Western

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – (WATCH) The Missouri Southern men snap a 3-game losing streak with a 71-68 win over Missouri Western Monday night.

Avery Taggart leads the way for the Lions with a game-high 25 points. Stan Scott (18 pts), RJ Smith (11 pts) and Winston Dessesow (10 pts) were also in double figures for Missouri Southern.

Photo/Video: News-Press Now

Doran’s go-ahead RBI single lifts MSSU to 4th straight win

JOPLIN, Mo. – (WATCH) Ryan Doran’s go-ahead RBI single in the 8th lifts Missouri Southern over Illinois-Springfield 10-8 Monday evening.

The Lions go 4-0 as the host of the MIAA/GLVC crossover.

Missouri Southern is back on the field on Friday, hosting Pittsburg State in their MIAA league opener.

Pitt State sweeps season series from Missouri Southern

WATCH: Pitt State gets by Missouri Southern 73-71 to complete the season sweep over the Lions. Tyler Hawkins scores 20 for the Gorillas while Bobby Arthur-Williams Jr. (15 pts) and Magic Reliford (14 pts) also finish in double digits.

Avery Taggart leads in scoring for the Lions with 22 points while adding seven rebounds. Stan Scott gets 13 and RJ Smith finishes with 10 points.

Reliford catches fire, Pitt State gets road win over rival MSSU

JOPLIN, Mo. – (WATCH) Labette County High School product Magic Reliford (24 pts, 5 reb, 4 stl) leads Pitt State to a 95-82 road win over Missouri Southern Wednesday night.

RJ Lawrence scores 21 for Pitt State, while Tyler Hawkins (18 pts) and Bobby Arthur-Williams (11 pts) were also in double figures for the Gorillas.

Lions roll by rival Gorillas for 12th straight win

JOPLIN, Mo – (WATCH) Missouri Southern tops Pitt State 80-65 Wednesday night. Madi Stokes leads the way with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Lacy Stokes finishes with 22 points, 7 assists and 5 steals, while Hailey Grant adds 13 points and 6 rebounds.

Tristan Gegg scores a team-high 25 points for Pitt State.

Parker homers twice, Lions finish sweep of Winona State

JOPLIN, Mo. – (WATCH) Freshman Treghan Parker (Webb City HS) homers twice and drives in 5 runs Tuesday, leading MSSU to a 20-12 win over Winona State.

The Lions (3-1) sweep the three-game series from the Warriors.

Johns posts career-high 24, Lions win 9th straight at Lincoln

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – (WATCH) Missouri Southern tops Lincoln 77-48 Monday night, with Amaya Johns scoring a career-high 24 points.

The Lions have now won 9 straight games and are currently tied for first place in the MIAA with a 13-3 conference record.

Stevenson hits three homers, Lions sweep Winona State in home opener

JOPLIN, Mo. – (WATCH) Missouri Southern sweeps Winona State in a double-header in their home opener Monday afternoon, winning 13-1 and 15-9.

Tommy Stevenson goes 5-7 with 3 home runs and 6 RBI on the day. Jordan Fitzpatrick goes 6-9 with 4 doubles and 4 RBI, while Henry Kusiak goes 6-9 with two doubles, a triple, 2 home runs and 5 RBI.

Eight sign Monday at Webb City High School

WEBB CITY, Mo. – Eight Webb City student-athletes sign Monday afternoon to continue their careers in college. Check out our interviews with each signee below.

Dupree Jackson – William Penn football

Cooper Crouch – Crowder baseball

Jeremiah Leaming – Evangel baseball

Alanna Bundy – Missouri Southern track/cross country

Dustin Brockmiller – Pitt State track/cross country

Delaney Duke – Park University soccer

Christian Kinney – Harding University football

Gavin Stowell – Highland baseball