February 23, 2005
[Gamenotes] [Final Stats]
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Sheldon Pace has now recorded both of SBU's double-doubles of the season. Against CMSU, Pace scored a team high 19 points and dished out a game high 10 assists, and added five steals in the all-around effort. |
WARRENSBURG, MO. ... Last week, Head Coach Jeff Guiot took the SBU men's basketball program to unchartered territory by clinching a spot in the MIAA Tournament for the first time in three years. On Wednesday night, Southwest Baptist (14-12 / 8-9 MIAA) defeated a top ten nationally ranked team on the road for the first time in school history by upsetting #10 Central Missouri State (20-6 / 13-4 MIAA), 84-81.
After being down 19-12 early in the first half, SBU used a 9-0 run all from three-pointers from Sheldon Pace, Martez Young, and freshman Danny Norman.to regain the lead at 21-19.
Then the Mules didn't waste a second in taking the lead back from the Bearcats, by going on an 11-0 run to push the lead up to a game high nine points at 30-21. In the first half, CMSU center Pat Schumacher and guard Corey Brown led the Mules with 12 points each. Brown, playing in his first game back from attending his mother's funeral in Memphis, Tennessee was flawless from the field in the half, shooting 5-5 and 2-2 from beyond the arc.
Being down 43-39 going into halftime, Southwest Baptist forced two quick turnovers to start the second half and regained the lead with a 6-0 run. The second half was in itself a war with the score being tied 11 times just in the second half and the lead changed hands 15 times. Pace scored 14 of his team high 19 points in the second half, including an amazing offensive rebound off of a missed three-pointer that turned into a reverse layup underneath the basket with 1:06 remaining in the game and pushed the Bearcats' lead back up to four.
With both teams fighting back and forth the entire 2nd half, Freshman Deontra Levi nailed two key free throws with fifteen seconds remaining in the game to push SBU's lead up to four, but CMSU guard Michael Hicks connected on an immediate three-pointer with less than six seconds remaining. After the inbounds pass, Cedric Ousley iced the game for the Bearcats with two more crucial free throws for the final score, 84-81. Hicks actually had an opportunity to send the game to overtime with less than a second to go, but his three-pointer was a little long and Southwest Baptist roared in celebration as they had upset one of the top teams in the entire country on their home floor.
Michael Hicks scored 18 of his game high 26 points in the second half including a near flawless effort from the charity stripe, shooting 8-9. Hicks also grabbed seven rebounds, but committed a game high eight turnovers.. Corey Brown finished the night with 16 points.
Pace finished the night with the second double-double of the season for SBU, scoring 19 points and dishing out 10 assists. Pace also had five steals in the game. Martez Young finished the night with 16 points. Chris Schulze had one of his best overall performances of the season with 10 points, six rebounds, 4-5 from the free throw line, three blocks, and three steals.
The Bearcats forced 23 turnovers and scored 27 points off of those to only 12 points for CMSU off of only 13 SBU turnovers. Southwest Baptist's bench outscored the Mules 27-6 including 14 points from senior Cedric Ousley. Coming into the game ranked second in the nation for three-pointers, SBU knocked down an amazing 15 treys, shooting 47% from beyond the arc and 48% from the field for the game.
This is the second victory this season for Southwest Baptist versus teams in the nation's top 25 with the earlier win coming at Bolivar, MO. back in early January versus then #18 Pittsburg State, 80-72. With Ousley's three-pointer at the 15:31 mark into the first half, SBU broke the all-time MIAA record for most made three-pointers in a single season. Coach Guiot improves his career record in the month of February to 23-6. This was the first loss for CMSU at home since losing to Missouri-Rolla back in February of last year. This loss also marks the first official losing streak for the Mules. Before this loss, Central Missouri St. had not lost back-to-back games all season.
Despite three Bearcats fouling out and one more player with four fouls, Rommel Colina only playing one minute due to an ankle injury, CMSU shooting twice as many free throws, and SBU getting outrebounded 50-24 on the night, Southwest Baptist defeated CMSU for the first time in Warrensburg, MO. since the 2001-2002 season. With the victory, SBU now finds themselves in a three-way tie for fourth place in the MIAA standings with NWMSU and ESU. SBU hosts Emporia State on Saturday, February 26 for senior night at the Meyer Sports Center. Tipoff is slated at 7:30 pm and this will conclude the regular season for the Bearcats and last tune up before the MIAA Tournament, which starts next Friday in Kansas City.
