Entering the home stretch of the regular season, the Bears knew that a win at home Thursday over Itawamba would greatly help their chances as they make a push for the postseason.

The message was heard loud and clear as Southwest got into rhythm early and rode the momentum for the remainder of the game defeating the Indians 76-65.

After the game, Southwest head coach Corey Schmidt talked about the magnitude of winning against the Indians who were tied with the Bears in the conference standings entering Thursday.

"They (Itawamba) were having a really good year," Schmidt said. "They are a really good team and good program. I thought that our guys came in with a really good focus and understanding that this was a game that we needed in the standings."

Thursday's game marked the return for sophomore guard Mark Drone who missed the past two games with an injury. He not only made his return, but did so in a big way, leading the Bears with 27 points which included a 9-of-9 performance from the free-throw line.

"I was mainly just trying to get back in rhythm," he said. "I missed a couple of games. I started practicing earlier this week. I was just trying to find my touch and get back into rhythm. I got comfortable and I was able to get my teammates involved and that opened me up more and it helped us win the game."

Early on, the Bears (16-11, 7-5 MACCC) put together a 13-2 run consisting of makes from Drone and Jahshawne Joseph and an authoritative slam from Tylik Weeks mixed in the middle.

Leading 15-6, the Bears watched that lead shrink down to as little as three, but an 11-0 run helped create more distance. Weeks shined during the rally with seven of the 11 points.

The Indians began to climb back into the game but the Bears stayed one step ahead not allowing Itawamba to re-take the lead.

Southwest closed out the final 2:08 of the first half on a 7-3 run increasing the lead to 39-28 at the intermission.

A strong start to the second half created even more distance for the Bears. Drone continued his red-hot night at the free throw line before Corey Lombard chipped in back-to-back makes.

About 7:00 in, Drone got a steal and a basket before Deon Brown splashed-in a 3-pointer a few minutes later as the hits kept coming for the Bears. Brown's make came with 11:00 to go and gave Southwest a 60-42 advantage.

As time wore on in the half the Bears kept getting key contributions on the defensive end while makes from Lombard and Drone paced the offense.

While Drone led the charge, Weeks and Joseph also had big nights scoring 15 points each.

Southwest will wrap the road portion of its regular season Monday at 7:30 with a game at Meridian.