Box Score

(Rolla, Mo.) – It wasn't exactly pretty at times but the Missouri S&T Lady Miners ran its winning streak to four games with a 57-33 win over Kentucky State on Friday night in Rolla. The 33 points allowed were the fewest given up in a game in over 20 years. The last time it happened the Lady Miners defeated Harris-Stowe 83-33 on November 22, 1988.

S&T (6-2) jumped out to an early 8-2 lead thanks to a pair of three-point baskets by Courtney Kemp (Fredricktown, Mo./Fredricktown) and Taylor Jensen (Farmington, Mo./Farmington). Kentucky State (4-2) responded with six straight to force the only tie of the contest with 13:55 to go in the half.

Toni Knar (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) gave the Lady Miners the lead for good with a three then Jensen hit a jumper in the lane to give S&T a 13-8 lead with less than 11 minutes remaining in the half. It would be the last points S&T scored for nearly seven minutes.

It was good thing for the Lady Miners as the Thorobrettes couldn't score either as they scored only four points during that stretch to close within 13-12.

Hailee Parks (Sullivan, Mo./Sullivan) put S&T back up by three with a lay-up then Kemp drained a three to make it 18-12. KSU closed to within four on a lay-up by Jessica Greene with less than two to play and that would be the closest it got the rest of the game.

Parks hit another lay-up with 0:28 left to extend the lead to six, and then Kemp hit a running jumper at the buzzer giving the Lady Miners a 22-14 lead heading into the break.

Both teams were ice cold from the floor as S&T connected on only 30 percent (9-of-30) from the floor and were 4-for-11 from downtown. Kentucky State was even worse as it made just 5 of its 24 shots (21 percent).

Kemp led all scorers with eight while Jensen dropped in five and Parks had four. Kiarra Morgan, Cortney Matthewis and Brittany Holder had four points apiece for the Thorobrettes.

Kentucky State scored the first bucket of the second half, but after that it was all Lady Miners as they proceeded to go on a 18-7 run over the next nine minutes to build a 40-23 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining in the game. Fareedah Washington (Forrest City, Ark./Forrest City) started the run with five straight points and D'Naya Mims (Chicago, Ill./Harlan Community Academy) closed out the run with a lay-up. She had six in that game deciding run.

S&T eventually built a 23 point lead at 48-25 on a lay-up by Karli Sample (St. Joseph, Mo./Benton) with 6:30 to play. It remained around a 20 point margin until the closing seconds when Yael Pelleg (Rishon Lezion, Israel/) gave the Lady Miners their biggest lead of the night at 57-33 on a three from the corner with 0:11 remaining.

S&T shot nearly 50 percent (14-of-29) from the floor in the second half while holding the Thorobrettes to only 8-for-29 (28 percent).

The Lady Miners finished the contest shooting 23-for-59 (39 percent) from the floor and held Kentucky State to just 24.5 percent shooting (13-of-53).

S&T dominated in the paint outscoring the Thorobrettes 24-to-10 and in bench points holding a 28-to-18 edge.

Kemp and Mims had eight points apiece to lead the Lady Miners. Jensen and Washington had seven each. Jensen also had six rebounds and five assists against two turnovers. Parks finished with six points and seven rebounds.

S&T will go for its fifth straight win as it closes out its five game home stand with a game against Missouri Valley on Sunday afternoon beginning at 2 p.m.