Bearcat men knock off Pittsburg State

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Holding the Gorillas to just 68 points, the SBU Bearcats defense helped earn a seventh straight win and continue their undefeated start to the MIAA season with the lowest point total by an opponant this season. Junior Ryan Dougherty led the Bearcats, with a team-high 16 points, five assists, five rebounds and four steals in the 84-68 victory.

The Bearcats led throughout the opening minutes, leading by as much as seven points, when Pittsburg State went on a 11-2 run that gave the Gorillas the lead. Pittsburg would go up by as much as 11 points with less than five minutes left in the first half, but a 15-4 Bearcat run cut the PSU lead to just one at the half.

SBU would come out for the second half red-hot, hitting their first seven shots from the field, giving them a 55-41 edge. The Bearcats shot 53.8% (7-for-13) from beyond the arc in the second half, which helped stretch their lead to 24 when Tremaine Hill hit a three-pointer with six minutes left to play. Hill finished with 13 points, three shy of his career high of 16, which he reached twice earlier this season.

Sophomore Jacob French led the Bearcat bench with 16 points, matching Dougherty for the team high. Senior Kurt Koenig finished with 14 points, going 4-for-7 from three.

With the win, SBU improves to 7-3 on the year, including a 4-0 start to conference play. The Bearcats are back in action next Saturday, December 18, when they host Missouri Southern at 7:30 p.m.