ASHLAND, Ore. - Simpson men's basketball looked to extend its three-game winning streak when the Red Hawks traveled north to Ashland on Tuesday night, but ultimately fell to SOU, 111-83.

After a strong first half, SU found itself trailing by just five at 49-44. A strong second half performance from the Raiders who caught fire from the field led SOU to the win at home. Southern Oregon caught the hot hand in the second half shooting 70 percent from the floor, missing only nine shots the entire second half.

Despite what the final scoreline says, the Red Hawks performed well against a talented SOU group who shot the lights out. The Red Hawks finished just a blip under 50 percent from the floor for the night and attacked the rim getting to the line 23 times, converting on 18 attempts.

Javonntie Jackson had another standout performance for SU, recording 22 points and six rebounds. Gary Mims added 17 points of his own alongside five boards and Akin Branco chipped in 14 points off the Simpson bench.

SOU also paid tribute to its former head coach who coached the Raiders for 36 years and is currently battling a sickness.

"This is a great game for us to take the positive as well as things we need to work on," Coach Franklin says, "It's also important to remember to keep basketball in perspective with Coach McDermott, who was honored at the game and I got to have a special moment with him after the game."



Franklin continued, "I was really pleased with our effort and sticking to our game plan in the first half and obviously the second half they came out and shot the lights out."

The Red Hawks won't hit the floor again until next week when conference play gets underway. SU heads to Angwin, Calif. to face Pacific Union College on Monday, November 21st with tip-off at 7:30 PM.