Foxworth scores 22 as Southwest Mississippi beats Lee College

Brian Foxworth scored 22 points and helped Southwest Mississippi close out an 84-78 win over Lee College in the Bears’ first home game of the season Tuesday. Southwest made its final 10 points at the free-throw line, including six by Foxworth, to secure its first win of the season.

The Bears led by six at halftime, 36-30, after a back-and-forth first half with nine lead changes. Devin Moore’s 3-pointer with 3:23 remaining put Southwest ahead 28-25, and the Bears kept the lead from there. Kam Brown added a 3 and then assisted on a Saleem Gakiza dunk, pushing the advantage to 34-27 with about a minute left in the half.

Southwest opened the second half with two Brandon Burke Jr. free throws, then got a 3-pointer from Gakiza. A Brown dunk and Burke 3 extended the lead to 46-32. Lee chipped away, but 3-pointers from Brown and Chaunce Stewart helped the Bears maintain a 58-45 advantage with 10:12 remaining.

Free throws proved decisive down the stretch. Southwest went 16-for-16 at the line in the final seven minutes, according to the team’s account. Foxworth made 8 of 9 free throws overall and went 6-for-6 in the final two minutes.

Brown finished with 17 points, including a 3-pointer, and made 5 of 6 free throws. Burke scored 11 points, all in the second half, and made all six of his free throws.

Coach Corey Schmidt praised Foxworth’s development, saying the guard had grown into a playmaker and a player the team could rely on to score when needed. Schmidt also said the team was working to settle into its rotation and roles. Southwest’s schedule listed a road game against Baton Rouge for Thursday, Nov. 5.

Source: Original Article