ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Missouri S&T's men's basketball opened a five-game stretch away from home Sunday on a down note, as Missouri-St. Louis made a 17-2 run in the second half to break open the contest and take a 65-50 win over the Miners.

The game featured two teams that entered the game at 2-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, but the Tritons were able to grab the lead in the latter stages of the first half and used the decisive run to break away from S&T.

The Miners closed an eight-point halftime gap to four early in the opening minutes of the second half, getting a jumper from Tommy Pelczynski (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) and a lay-in from Eli Steinbeck (Hermann, Mo./Hermann) to make it 40-36 with 15:50 to play. However, UMSL rattled off 11 consecutive points and 17 of the next 19 to take its largest lead of the contest of 19 points at 57-38 with 7:50 remaining.

The teams battled on mostly even terms for much of the first half. The Tritons built an early eight-point lead, but S&T scored eight straight points and tied the game at the 8:32 mark when Carlton Westbrook (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) made a steal and layup.

Westbrook scored again with 7:13 to go to put the Miners up 22-20, but UMSL's Gerald Fulton – who scored 14 of his game-high 19 points in the opening half -- answered with a three-pointer that put the Tritons in front for the balance of the half. UMSL would eventually extend its lead to 10 before a late basket by Jeremy DeLange (Viera, Fla./Comenius College HS) cut the lead to 36-28 at the intermission.

The Miners closed an eight-point halftime gap to four early in the opening minutes of the second half, getting a jumper from Pelczynski and a lay-in from Eli Steinbeck (Hermann, Mo./Hermann) to make it 40-36 with 15:50 to play. However, UMSL rattled off 11 consecutive points and 17 of the next 19 to take its largest lead of the contest of 19 points at 57-38 with 7:50 remaining.

Pelczynski was the only Miner to reach double figures with 18 points, while Bryce Fostger and Aaron Hays (Kirksville, Mo./Kirksville) finished with seven points apiece. The Miners shot 46.5 percent for the contest and 52.9 percent in the second half, but were victimized by 10 of their 16 turnovers after the break.

Fulton was joined in double figures for the Tritons (8-2, 3-0 GLVC) by Justyn Watkins with 17 points and Dominic Williams with 14.

The Miners (6-4, 2-1 GLVC ) return to action Tuesday when they face Rockhurst in a 7:45 p.m. game in Kansas City, Mo.