ST. JOSEPH – The Missouri Western men’s basketball team got its first win of the 2018-19 season and it was a big one. The Griffons knocked off Fairmont State 80-73 on Sunday in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Presented by Hillyard at Civic Arena.
Fairmont State, the 2017 NCAA Division II runner-up, was receiving votes in the NABC preseason top-25 poll. The Falcons lost a heartbreaker themselves on Saturday, 78-76 to 2018 national champion Ferris State. Sunday, it was the Griffons turn to dole out a similar gut-punch to what the team took on Saturday from Tarleton State. Missouri Western erased a nine-point deficit with an 18-7 run over a five minute period in the second half. The Griffons never trailed again and scored its final six points of the game at the free throw line.
NOTABLES
- Missouri Western shot 51 percent from the field and held Fairmont State to 36 percent shooting; the Falcons missed 40 shots, the Griffons took 45
- The Griffons needed just one three-pointer made by Lavon Hightower in the first half to defeat the Falcons. Missouri Western ended the game 1-for-8 from behind the arc while Fairmont State was 10-for-30
- The Griffons won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding their opponent 44-29
- Missouri Western forced 23 Fairmont State turnovers and committed 12
- The game featured nine lead changes and was tied eight times. Fairmont State had the lead for more than 23 minutes; the Griffons led for just over 13 minutes.
- In the midst of the 18-7 second half run, Fairmont State had to dip deep into its bench due to foul trouble, subbing in a player who was not listed in the official score book prior to the game. An administrative technical foul turned into a three-point play with a Lavon Hightower free throw and layup that cut the Fairmont State led from seven to four
LEADERS
- Hightower matched his total from Saturday, scoring 26 points to likely end the SCB Hall of Fame Classic as the tournament’s top scorer. The senior was 7-of-12 from the field, 11-of-12 from the line and led the Griffons with eight rebounds
- Bryan Hudson scored a career-high 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting with seven rebounds
- Tyrell Carroll scored 10 points for the Griffons
UP NEXT
The Griffons stay at Civic Arena next weekend, hosting the 27thAnnual Hillyard Tip-Off Classic. Will Missouri Western will play Winona State on Nov. 9 at Civic Arena and Upper Iowa on Nov. 10.
