Box Score

LIBERTY, Mo. – A cold shooting day doomed the Missouri S&T men's basketball team Saturday as it dropped a 65-56 decision to William Jewell in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

The Miners finished the day by shooting 44.2 percent from the floor, but lingered below the 40 percent mark for the majority of the game and allowed the host Cardinals to break free in the latter stages of the contest.

Both teams got off to slow starts as the team combined for just nine points in the first six minutes of play.  The Miners were able to build a pair of four-point leads in the opening half, the last at 13-9 on a dunk by Michael Jackson (Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) at the 10:42 mark.

William Jewell tied the score on a Mark Mason three-pointer with 4:19 to go in the half, then took the lead a little over a minute later on a basket by Bryan Adams.  The Cardinals built that lead to four before Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) knocked down a baseline jumper with 17 seconds to go in the half to make it 25-23 in Jewell's favor at the half.

However, William Jewell opened the second half by scoring 18 of the first 26 points to extend its lead to 12 by the 11:34 mark and held off S&T's challenge from that point on.

Trailing 48-39, the Miners used a 7-1 spurt to draw to within four with 4:21 remaining when Julian Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School) drained a three-pointer from the top of the key.  S&T had a chance to get even closer on its next trip down the floor, but Nick Larson stole the ball from Johnson in the open floor and went the distance for a lay-up to push the margin back to six.

 Jackson made one of two at the free throw line with 3:22 remaining to trim the lead to five, but Craig Mattson, who scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half, knocked down a three-pointer to start a 9-0 run that put the Cardinals firmly in control.

Jackson had another strong inside for the Miners with 17 points and eight rebounds to lead the way, while Carlton Westbrook (Centralia, Ill./Centralia) was also in double figures with 12 points.

Larson, who came into the game averaging a double-double for the season, had another one on Saturday with 18 points and 14 rebounds.  Mason added 13 for the Cardinals (6-11, 3-8 GLVC), who shot 56 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes.

The Miners, who fell to 3-16 overall and 2-9 in GLVC play, will return home to begin a two-game homestand Thursday when they face Quincy in a 7:30 p.m. game at Billy Key Court.