Playing in their first game in two weeks, the Bears were locked in a battle at home with Co-Lin, Thursday, in the conference opener. And despite trailing by as many as 12 points with 4:00 to go in regulation, a late rally forced overtime before the Bears pulled away and secured a 96-84 win over the Wolves.
 
"It was a lot of fun, and our guys really enjoyed it," Southwest head coach Corey Schmidt said. "It was fun because our guys really responded and there were runs and it was back-and-forth, and it wasn't like either team dominated. You got to see what you were made of in critical moments."
 
Mark Drone led the Bears (10-6, 1-0) with a game-high 27 points, the majority of which came in the second half but perhaps none of his makes were bigger than one he had with 19.1 seconds to go as a layup tied the game at 75 before one final defensive stand forced overtime. In the extra period, Drone added another 10 points, including three 3-pointers to help the Bears pick up the win.
 
"It was really about me just taking over," Drone said. "I really started off slow in the first half so I had to find my rhythm in the second and it helped lead us to a victory."
 
While Drone led the way in the later stages of the game, Tylik Weeks took charge early on as he imposed his will from inside the arch with six made baskets in the first half while also showing his range with a 3-pointer. He got scoring help from seven other Bears who all registered points in the first 20:00 of play.
 
Despite the Bears' success on the offensive end of the floor, the defense couldn't quite keep Co-Lin from hanging around. After jumping ahead early, the Bears watched their lead balloon to as many as nine points but the Wolves started finding success on their end of the floor, shrinking the hosts' lead down to as little as two.
 
One final rally in the first half gave Southwest a 41-33 advantage at intermission.
 
About halfway through the second half, Co-Lin jumped ahead for the first time since early in the contest. Even though the Wolves maintained their lead, the Bears kept pace. As time continued to tick away, Southwest was seeking one last push, and it came from Drone who scored the final four Bear points in regulation including his big layup with only seconds to go. In addition to Drone's stellar play in the overtime period, the Bears also got key makes from Deon Brown and free throws from Corey Lombard and LeVionne Lindsey to help seal the win.
 
Weeks finished with 18 points while Brown had 14 and Lindsey 10.
 
The Bears get right back at it in conference play with a 7:30 p.m. contest Monday evening at East Mississippi.