Box Score

(Evansville, Ind.) – The Missouri S&T Lady Miners kept its postseason hopes alive getting a critical 85-82 win at Southern Indiana on Saturday afternoon in Evansville, Ind. The Lady Miners rallied from a 15 point first half deficit to get the win.

S&T (13-12, 6-10 GLVC) trailed the entire first getting down by as many as 15 at one point with 2:48 to go before closing the half on a 14-4 run behind eight points from Lauren Dubbert (Madison, Mo./Madison) and three apiece from Brittany Percival (Hartville, Mo./Hartville ) and Kylee Grant (Peoria, Ill./Richwoods). It struggled defensively in the frame allowing the Screaming Eagles (14-11, 6-9 GLVC) exactly 50 percent (14-of-28) from the floor and 71 percent from three and didn't have an answer for Rinesha Soaper and Brittany Neuman who combined for 21 points in the frame.

The Lady Miners shot the ball just as well going 16-for-33 (49 percent) from the floor and were 39 percent (5-of-13) from behind the arc but went to the foul line just once compared to 12 attempts for USI. Dubbert led the way with 12 points, Tamara McCaskill dropped in nine and Percival had six.

S&T continued its run from the end of the first by scoring 12 of the first 14 points to take its first lead of the ball game 46-45 on a jumper by Katie McElrath (Owasso, Okla./Owasso) just three minutes. The lead would stretch to five thanks to four straight points from McCaskill, but Southern Indiana came right back getting a three from Lauren Meneghetti to cut it back to two.

The Lady Miner lead would stay at four until a 7-0 run by the Screaming Eagles allowed them to regain a 57-54 lead getting five points from Ellen Young in the run. They would stretch the lead to four but Jazmine Bell (Euclid, Ohio/Euclid) answered right back with a three to cut the lead back to one with 10:12 to play.

USI would hold the lead building it to as much as five with 8:21 to go on a jumper by Amie Newhart before S&T retook the lead for good with a 10-0 spurt over the next two minutes getting eight points from McElrath and McCaskill to take a 70-65 lead with 6:42 to play. The Screaming Eagles cut it to three on a pair of free throws by Newhart but Grant had the answer burying a deep three from the top of the key to stretch the lead out to six.

Newhart refused to let Southern Indiana go quietly as she converted on an old-fashioned three point play to get within four points but S&T answered each of her charges down the stretch building its lead to as many as 10 after a pair of free throws by Grant.  The Screaming Eagles had one more run in them though cutting the deficit to 83-82 with 0:47 left on two more free throws by Newhart.

Bell tried to give the Lady Miners back their three point lead but missed a jumper with 0:22 to go but McElrath was there for the rebound and was fouled and a chance to push the lead back to three. After she missed both tosses Dubbert came in from the wing untouched, grabbed the rebound and got it to Grant who was fouled with 0:15.2 left. She stepped to the foul line and made both of them to give S&T an 85-82 lead.

After a timeout by USI it ran a play for Young who launched an off balance three that was off the mark but Neuman got the rebound and kicked it back out to Newhart but her three point attempt was blocked by Bell and the rebound went out of bounds as the buzzer sounded giving the Lady Miners the win.

S&T did a better job on the defensive end holding USI to just 35 percent (14-of-40) in the second frame and shot the ball better making 14-for-28 (50 percent) and did the job at the foul line knocking down 17-of-23 (74 percent) at the charity stripe.

McCaskill led all scorers with 22 points and was joined in double figures by McElrath with 16, 12 in the second half, Bell dropped in 14, Dubbert finished with 13 and Grant had 10.

For the Lady Miners to make the GLVC Tournament they need Southern Indiana to lose its last two games next at Drury and Rockhurst and S&T has to defeat Missouri-St. Louis next Saturday evening at home.

The Lady Miners return home on Tuesday evening to take on Central State University (Ohio) in a non-conference game beginning at 6 p.m.