Box Score

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Missouri S&T closed two double-digit deficits down to four during the second half, but one more run by Southwest Baptist was too much for the Miners to overcome as they dropped a 100-77 decision to the Bearcats Monday night.

SBU saw the Miners cut leads of 12 and 13 down to four during the first eight minutes of the second half, but rattled off 21 points over a stretch of just over five minutes to put the S&T into a hole it couldn't climb out of in the fast-paced affair as it fell for the fifth time in six outings.

The teams swapped the lead several times in the opening minutes of the contest, with the Miners taking an early three-point advantage on a three-pointer  by Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central).  S&T led 12-10 after another trey by Foster at the 16:18 mark, but the Bearcats ran off 11 of the next 14 points to take a six-point lead with 13:02 left in the half.

The Bearcats, who shot 57.9 percent in the first half, would lead by as many as 14 in the first 20 minutes and took an 11-point lead to the locker room.

SBU's Preston Guiot scored the first basket of the second half to put the Bearcats up by 13, but the Miners, powered by junior forward Michael Jackson (Wichita, Kan./Wichita East), ran off nine straight points to trim the margin to four.  

Jackson slammed home a rebound at the 17:30 mark to cut the lead to six, then kept a ball alive on S&T's next trip down the floor that Eli Steinbeck (Hermann, Mo./Hermann) retrieved and scored on to make it 54-50 with 16:31 remaining.

The Bearcats answered by scoring seven straight points to put their lead back into double figures, but the Miners would make another run moments later to get back to within four again.

Trailing 64-52, the Miners scored eight straight points on baskets by Foster, Carlton Westbrook (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) and two from Jackson to draw to within four at the 12:18 mark.  However, the Bearcats responded by scoring 21 points in a span of just over five minutes to take their largest lead of the game of 17 points at the 6:43 mark.

Westbrook scored a career-high 24 points to lead the Miners and Jackson added a career best of his own with 20 points.  Foster also finished in double figures for S&T with 10 points.  The Miners finished the night by shooting 50 percent from the floor – including a 59.3 percent clip in the second half, but the Bearcats shot 55.6 percent on the night and made nine three-pointers in the contest.

SBU had five players in double figures, led by Daveion Zellner with 16 points.

The Miners will open Great Lakes Valley Conference play Thursday when they host Maryville University in a 7:30 p.m. game at Billy Key Court.  Thursday's game will open a three-game home stand  -- all in GLVC play – for S&T.