SEARCY, Ark. – Missouri S&T's men's basketball  team played on even terms with a talented Harding team for much of the first half Saturday night, but the Bisons used a run late in the first half to propel them to a 79-53 win over the Miners to close S&T's first semester schedule.

After trailing for a better portion of the first half, the Miners took their first lead of the game at 27-26 on Tommy Pelczynski (Nashville, Ill./Nashville)'s basket with 3:49 to go in the half.  Kevin Brown put the Bisons back in front moments later, but Aaron Hays (Kirksville, Mo./Kirksville) answered with a layup to give the Miners the lead again at 29-28.

Hays' basket, which came at the 3:36 mark, turned out to be the last points the Miners would score in the opening half.  Harding scored the final eight points of the period on two free throws and a three-pointer by Weston Jameson and another trey by Hayden Johnson to take a 36-29 lead to the locker room.

The Bisons broke the game open in the early stages of the second half.  Harding took its first double-digit lead with 16:43 to go, then after S&T's Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) hit a three-point to cut the lead to eight at 43-35, the Bisons rattled off 13 straight points to build a 21-point lead by the 11:29 mark.  The Miners were outscored 43-24 in the second half.

S&T finished the contest by shooting 42.6 percent from the floor, but Harding, 9-1 and winner of its six straight game, hit 51 percent of its shots from the floor to make it the first team to reach 50 percent from the floor against the Miners this season.

Mike Malat (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) led the Miners with 15 points, while Pelczynski also made it into double figures with 10.  Foster and Hays finished with nine points apiece.

Stephen Blake led Harding and all scorers with 16 points and Brown had 15 as four Bison players scored in double figures.

Missouri S&T (5-3) will return to action Dec. 29 when it hosts Culver-Stockton in a 7 p.m. game at Billy Key Court.