Missouri Southern wins ‘Battle of the Lady Lions’ with UAFS

Editor’s note: Story by Jonathan Gipson, sports information director for the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith.
 
JOPLIN, Mo. – Missouri Southern used its perimeter prowess and its defense Saturday afternoon to win the Battle of the Lady Lions with the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith here at Leggett and Platt Center.

Missouri Southern made seven 3-pointers and held UAFS to just 32% shooting on its way to a 68-49 win in the final game of the Pizza Hut/Fairfield Inn Thanksgiving Classic.

UAFS was winless in the two-day classic, having lost to No. 7 Emporia State 88-43 on Friday afternoon. Emporia State and Missouri Southern each went undefeated, while Avila College was winless.

UAFS (0-5), which is making its NCAA Division II debut, will continue its rugged road stint at 7 p.m. on Tuesday against No. 20 Drury University at Springfield, Mo. It will be the last of six consecutive road games to start the season for the Lady Lions, who will make their Stubblefield Center debut on Dec. 8 against UA Monticello.

Senior Jolea Apon sparked Missouri Southern’s potent perimeter attack with four 3-pointers. The former Carl Albert State College Lady Viking hit for a team-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field and was Missouri Southern’s second-leading rebounder with six boards.

Apon earned a spot on the All-Classic Team, as did Missouri Southern’s Jasmine Lovejoy. Lovejoy scored 14 points on 6-of-18 shooting from the field and 2-of-3 shooting from the line and had a team-high nine rebounds.

Missouri Southern shot just 41% from the field (27 of 66) but held UAFS to only 32% shooting from the field (18 of 56). UAFS was only 1-of-12 shooting from 3-point range. UAFS also committed 20 turnovers.

Sophomore Tracey Parsons of Trenton, N.J., led the UAFS with 10 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field and 2-of-4 shooting from the line. She also had three assists and five rebounds. Parsons was the only Lady Lion to score in double-figures. Freshman Chelsea Sublett of Conway, Ark., had a team-high eight rebounds, but UAFSwas still out-rebounded by a narrow 47-46 tally.