ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – Despite a game effort Saturday afternoon, Missouri S&T's men's basketball team was unable to overcome an inconsistent shooting day and some critical misses at the free throw line in the latter stages of the game as it lost 69-58 to Lewis University in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

The Miners led for a good portion of the first half and held a six-point advantage six minutes into the game after Aaron Hays (Kirksville, Mo./Kirksville) connected on a three-pointer. The Flyers used a 10-0 run to take the lead, moving in front on Dennis Thomas, Jr.'s three-point basket with nine minutes remaining in the half.

A three-pointer by Tommy Pelczynski (Nashville, Ill./Nashville) and a basket by Mike Malat (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon) allowed S&T to tie the score with 6:45 to go in the half, but Thomas hit another three-pointer out of the corner to move the Flyers back into the lead for good at 22-19 with six minutes to play in the half.

Lewis would extend that lead to as many as six on two occasions before a Pelczynski three-pointer with five seconds to go in the half cut the Flyers' halftime lead to three at 32-29.

The Flyers would push their lead into double figures for the first time at 48-37 on a trey by Justin Jarosz with 11:15 left and still led by 10 with just under nine minutes remaining, but S&T began to chip away at the Lewis advantage over the next several minutes.

Five straight points from Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central), on a three-pointer and a jumper in the lane, brought the margin down to 10 with 7:45 to go. A three-pointer by Aaron Hays (Kirksville, Mo./Kirksville) 41 seconds later cut a seven-point Flyer lead to four, then Hays hit another three-pointer with 5:07 left to draw the Miners to within two.

Hays made two free throws at the 4:19 mark to get the Miners to within two again at 58-56, but a dunk by Lewis' Marty Strus followed and Matt Toth hit two free throws after S&T missed the front end of a one-and-one to extend the lead to six. Maurice Grinter (Louisville, Ky./Fairdale) hit a free throw to cut the margin to five with 1:43 to go, but that would turn out to be as close as S&T would get.

Hays led &T in scoring with 15 points, matching his career high, while Pelczynski chipped in with 12 points and Foster with 10. The Miners shot 35.1 percent on the afternoon, but made eight three-pointers to help keep them within reach. S&T was also 10-of-14 at the free throw line, but all four misses -- including two front ends of one-and-ones -- came in the final four minutes.

Lewis got a game-high 23 points from Thomas and 17 from Toth as it improved to 12-9 overall and 5-5 in GLVC play.

The Miners, who lost for the ninth consecutive time to fall to 6-12 and 2-9 in the GLVC, will host Maryville next Saturday at 3 p.m. at Billy Key Court.