The Missouri Western men lost another close home contest this time 57-56 against the Pittsburg State Gorillas. For the second straight game Dzenan Mrkaljevic tried to be the hero but a three with one second left was off the mark dropping MWSU to 8-11 overall and 4-7 in MIAA play. The Griffons shot just 32-percent (17-53) and got out rebounded by nine (42-33) in the defeat.
The Griffons played extreamly well in the first half despite missing it’s point guard Adarius Fulton due to concussion like symptoms.
The two teams were ice cold to start the game going a combined 1-14 in the first 4:05 of the game. The next four minutes belonged to the Griffons going on a 10-5 run claiming a 12-7 lead after a Kalvin Balque three with 10:53 to play. The two teams played relatively close the rest of the way with the Gorillas outscoring the Griffons by one the rest of the frame. MWSU took a 27-23 lead into the half.
The Griffons made just 8-of-31 first half field goals but were able to connect on 8-of-9 free throws to help them gain the four point halftime lead. Seven differnt Griffons scored in the first half with Balque leading the way off the bench with seven points in ten minutes of play. MWSU had 19 rebounds with eight on the offensive end.
The Gorillas made 7-of-17 shots with Rico Pierrevilus and Kaleb Porter both scoring six points in the half.
The second half was a back forth battle with four ties and seven lead changes. The Griffons opened up a five point lead early in the frame when Mrkaljevic nailed a three giving the Griffons a 30-25 lead. Mrkaljevic finished the game just 2-of-14 from the field and 2-of-8 from long range.
PSU scored the next five points tying the score at 30 with 16:55 to play. The Griffons were able to gain a four point lead three times during the next eight minutes at 40-36, 42-38 and 44-40.
The Gorillas were able to open up a three point lead at 51-48 with 3:42 to play after Kaleb Porter hit a lay-up. The Griffons remained calm and made a run taking a two point lead after a Reed Mells three and a Alex Tuluka-Mfumupembe free throw at 54-52.
The Gorillas once again opened up a three point lead with 1:25 to play and after a Cedric Clinkscales lay-up with 1:00 minute to play the PSU lead was 57-56. The Griffons had their opportunities down the stretch but a big rebound and steal by the Gorillas gave them the victory. They improved to 13-5 overall and 6-4 in MIAA play.
The Griffons made just 7-of-14 second half free throws but dished out 13 assists on their 17 field goals. Clinkscales and Balque led the way with 15 and 11 points respectively. Mrkaljevic had nine rebounds and Mells and Alfreeman Flowers dished out four assists apiece.
The made 41-7-percent (20-48) from the field but struggled from the foul line making just 11-of-24 free throws. They had four players in double digits with Pierrevilus leading the way with a double-double scoring 14 points and snaring 11 rebounds. Porter, Marky Nolen and Courtney Ingram dumped in 13, 12 and 11 points apiece.
The Griffons return to action on Saturday, February 2 with a home contest against MIAA newcomer Northeastern State University. Game time is set for 3:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo.
— MWSU Sports Information —