LIBERTY, Mo. - The William Jewell men's basketball team held off a second half Southwest Baptist rally to defeat the Bearcats 86-70 on Thursday evening inside the Mabee Center. The Cardinals move to 7-14 on the season and 4-9 in conference action. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Jewell got off to a strong start as a three from Jordan Jermain and a bucket by Kanukayi Gudza made it a seven point Cardinal lead in the first five minutes. SBU tied things up midway through the half but Jewell outscored the visitors 30-18 over the next 10 minutes to hold a 12-point advantage at the intermission. 
• The Bearcats quickly cut into the lead in the early moments of the second half, eventually tying the score at 58-all with just over 11 minutes to go. A quick 8-1 run, capped by a layup from Ashton Jermain, pushed the Cardinals back in front by seven. SBU again cut the deficit down to a single possession but a steal and slam by Jason Thirdkill, Jr. was followed by back-to-back three pointers from Luke Jordan to give the Cardinals a double-digit lead with under three minutes remaining as Jewell rolled to the 16-point win. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Three players finished with 20-plus points as Thirdkill, Jr. picked up a double-double of 23 points and 10 rebounds while Jordan posted 23 points on 7-of-13 from long range/
• Jordan Jermain had 22 points and with his first bucket of the night became the fourth player in program history to reach the 2,000 point milestone. 
• Caden McGuire also handed out a career high six assists. 
• Jewell shot 55% from the field while holding SBU to just 39%, including 7-of-23 (30%) from three. 
• The Cardinals forced 12 turnovers that led to 21 points. 

UP NEXT
Jewell will look to continue their momentum into Saturday's match up with crosstown rival Rockhurst. Tip off is set for 3 p.m.