LIBERTY, Mo. - In a game that was physical from the start, the William Jewell men's basketball team came up short, falling 61-49, to Southwest Baptist in a battle for first in the GLVC West. The loss drops the Cardinals to 9-7 on the season, 5-3 in league play. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Things started quickly with the Bearcats taking a 12-7 lead after seven minutes of play but both teams cooled off, combining for 13 points over the following seven minutes. Back-to-back steals by Jevaughn Ferguson paved the way for layups from Trey Shannon and Jordan Jermain to cut it to a 20-14 SBU lead, but the Bearcats finished the half by outscoring Jewell 11-7 to hold a 10-point advantage at the break. 
• Southwest Baptist opened the second half on a 14-2 run to quickly expand their lead to 22 with 14 minutes to play. The Cardinals chipped away over the next eight minutes, cutting the deficit to 11 after consecutive threes from Grant Stubbs and Jermain but could get no closer. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ferguson was superb on the defensive end, grabbing 12 rebounds, including nine defensive, to go with three steals and three blocks, all of which are career highs for the junior. 
• The Cardinals shot 32% from the floor and had just one player in double-figures as Jermain finished with 16. 
• John Zimmerman handed out a game-high five assists while Kobe McKinley had four steals. 

UP NEXT
Jewell heads east on a two-game road swing, beginning with a stop at Lindenwood on Thursday evening. Lindenwood's currently policies prohibit spectators but the game can be seen live on the GLVC Sports Network.