SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In the first road game of the season, SWOSU Men's Basketball knocked down 17 three-point shots and forced Drury into 18 turnovers to claim an 85-65 win on day one of the Thanksgiving Classic.

The night was kick started courtesy of senior point guard Kamden Gipson who had 26 points and accounted for eight of the team's 17 three-point shots. His point total ties a career high, while his made three balls is a new career best.

The Bulldogs finished 17-of-33 (51.5%) from beyond the arc and 41.3% overall in the game, easily marking their best shooting performance of the young season. It was a crisp second half that helped the Dawgs cruise to the 20-point victory.

SWOSU shot 29% as a team in the first half but had the three-ball working early and connected on 8-for-21 from beyond the arc. After scoring the final five points of the half, they led 31-26 at the break.

Then, in the second half, SWOSU didn't miss. They shot 55% as a team, which included 9-of-12 from the three-point line. Not only did they make one more three-point shot than in the first half, but they shaved off nine fewer tries.

The second half featured a 14-0 run by the visiting Dawgs that spanned over three minutes of game time beginning at the 10:44 mark. The margin never got fewer than eight points in the Bulldog controlled half.

Chris Braggs, Jr. also had a solid night. He finished with 17 points and tied his career high with four made three-point shots. Ben Smith added 13, while Nate Goodlow had 12 with six pestering steals.   

SWOSU outrebounded Drury 41-34 and finished 16-20 (80%) from the free-throw line.

Defensively, the final numbers are a little deceiving. Drury finished at 42% shooting but committed 18 turnovers thanks to pressure defense that led to 13 Bulldog points the other way.

The win pushes SWOSU back to an even 2-2 on the year heading into tomorrow's matchup with William Jewell. Tipoff for day two of the Thanksgiving Classic comes at 3:15pm inside the O'Reilly Family Event Center.