Box Score ROLLA, Mo. – A strong second half performance propelled the Missouri S&T men's basketball team to its first victory of the 2012-13 season Saturday night as the Miners dispatched Southwest Baptist 75-61 at Billy Key Court.

Leading by one at the half, the Miners got more aggressive after the break and outscored the Bearcats 43-30 over the final 20 minutes.  Along with outscoring SBU by 13 points, the Miners also outrebounded SBU by a 24-11 margin, went to the free throw line 27 times to seven for the Bearcats and forced the guests into 40 percent shooting from the field.

The Bearcats held the advantage for much of the first half, using a 7-0 spurt to take a 16-10 lead just over eight minutes into the game, but the Miners answered with an 8-0 run of their own, moving in front on a three-pointer by Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) at the 8:34 mark.

S&T would hold onto the lead for most of the half following the Foster trey, taking its one-point halftime lead of 32-31 on a free throw with 29 seconds left by Julian Johnson (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School) after Rashaad Brown-Peterson had tied the game 14 seconds earlier.

SBU would take a couple of leads during the early stages of the second half, the last on a basket by Jaywuan Hill that made it 36-35 with 18:10 to play.  Following that basket, S&T would rattle off 12 consecutive points – four by Foster and four more by Eli Steinbeck (Hermann, Mo./Hermann) – to take its biggest lead of 11 with 14:08 remaining.

The Bearcats, who have struggled in the second half in each of their four losses this season, closed that lead to six over the next minute, but the Miners responded with a quick 7-2 spurt and built the lead back to 11 again on Michael Jackson (Wichita, Kan./Wichita East)'s two free throws with 10:50 to play.

After a Brown-Peterson lay-in on SBU's next trip down the floor, Mudi Eruteya hit two free throws to put the Miner lead back in double figures – where it would stay for the rest of the night.  The biggest Miner lead was 17 points in the latter stages of the game.

Eruteya led all scorers in the game with a career-high 22 points and added eight rebounds and four assists.  S&T (1-1) had good balance in the scoring column, getting 11 points and five boards from Foster, nine points from Michael Nesbitt (Evansville, Ind./LaLumiere School) and eight from Steinbeck.  Freshman guard Aaron Emmaunel dished out a season-high six assists.

SBU (1-4) had three players in double figures, led by Hill with 15 points and Brown-Peterson with 14.

The Miners will play their first regular season road game Tuesday when they face Emporia State in Emporia, Kan.  The Hornets beat the Miners in their season opener last week 66-56 at Billy Key Court.