ST. JOSEPH – After Bryan Hudson’s coast-to-coast layup tied the game at 56 a piece with four seconds left, Central Missouri’s Jafar Kinsey took the inbound pass, drove the length of the court, and banked in the game-winning three at the buzzer, lifting Central Missouri (13-11, 6-9 MIAA) over the Griffons (13-11, 5-10) on Saturday 59-56 inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.
NOTABLES
- The Mules shot out to an 11-2 lead out of the opening tip forcing Missouri Western to call a timeout.
- The Griffons settled in following the timeout, using a, 11-2 run of their own to tie the game at 13.
- Tyrell Carroll led the Griffons in a low-scoring first half with 11 points as the Griffons trailed 31-26 at the intermission.
- After falling behind by as many as nine points in the second half, Lavon Hightower’s three-pointer tied the game at 49-49 with 3:40 to play.
- The Mules would get those three points back on the next possession and then used two free throws to offset Hudson’s mid-range jumper, holding a two-point lead over the Griffons with under two minutes remaining.
- Hudson answered the call again on the next Missouri Western possession, driving to the basket for two.
- Central Missouri big man Jakob Lowrance then gave the Mules the lead on a layup with just 10 seconds left.
- Hudson then went coast-to-coast, elevating over the outstretched arms of Lowrance to even the score at 56 with just four seconds remaining.
- The Mules then managed to get the ball across the court and launch a 25-footer off the glass for the game-winning buzzer-beater.
- After an official review, the call was confirmed, giving Central Missouri the 59-56 win over the Griffons on Senior Day.
- The 59 points allowed by Missouri Western is its second-best defensive performance of the season.
LEADERS
- Hudson led the Griffons in scoring with 17 points on 50 percent shooting.
- Carroll finished with 15 points.
- Hightower added 11 points to go with his game-high nine rebounds.
UP NEXT
- Missouri Western will hit the road for a matchup with Southwest Baptist (12-12, 6-9 MIAA) on Thursday.
- The Griffons fell 79-71 to the Bearcats last Wednesday in the teams’ first meeting.
— MWSU Athletics —