RENSSELAER, Ind. – Missouri S&T's men's basketball team found the going tough on the road Thursday night, as Saint Joseph's took control of the game late in the first half and went on to a 76-57 win over the Miners.

 

Saint Joseph's shot 55.2 percent in the first half to build a 43-30 lead by the break. The Miners led early in the contest and trailed by only two at 20-18 after a pair of free throws by Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) with 8:44 left in the half, but the Pumas outscored S&T 16-7 over the final 5:31 of the period to build a 13-point lead.

 

The Pumas extended their lead to 16 in the opening minutes of the second half, but S&T closed the margin to 10 when Marquis Jones (St. Louis, Mo./Cardinal Ritter) converted a three-point play at the 14:48 mark. A little over three minutes later, Byron Bundy (Columbia, Mo./Hickman) sunk a three-pointer to get the Puma lead under double figures at 55-46.

 

However, Saint Joseph's scored the next 10 points – seven of them coming from Marcus Jackson – to push the lead back to 19 with eight minutes to play.

 

S&T had three players in double figures, with A.J. Mandani (Brampton, Ontario/) and Foster finishing with 13 apiece and Bundy with 12. Saint Joe's Austin Peebles led all scorers with 18 points.

 

The Miners shot only 39.2 percent from the floor for the game and committed 20 turnovers. Saint Joseph's (8-6, 2-4 GLVC) also held the advantage on the boards by a 30-23 margin.

 

The Miners (5-10, 1-6 GLVC) will play at No. 22-ranked Drury Saturday in a 7:15 p.m. contest in Springfield, Mo.