Box Score (Rolla, Mo.) – Karli Sample (St. Joseph, Mo./Benton) scored a career-high 34 points but it wasn't enough as Missouri S&T fell 83-81 at William Jewell on Saturday afternoon. S&T shot a season high 58.3 percent from the field but was outrebounded 37-to-29 and turned it over 19 times. Despite the loss the Lady Miners still clinched a spot in the GLVC Tournament.

The two teams traded baskets to start the game as the Cardinals (11-14, 6-11 GLVC) led 10-7 2:39 into the contest before going on a 17-6 run over the next 5:30 to build a 27-13 lead. William Jewell hit 10 of its first 13 shots to begin the game and was 6-for-7 from beyond the arc.

S&T (9-16, 5-12 GLVC) responded scoring 13 of the next 15 points over the next four-plus minutes to get within 29-26 on a layup by Leigh Ann-Kesper. The Cardinals pushed the lead back to seven on basket by Cassy Nicolay and two free throws by Chelsea Meeks.

Once again the Lady Miners had an answer scoring nine straight points to take their first lead since early in the half. Sample had four points in the run while Senait McLeod (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) added a three-pointer and Kylie Cooper (Andover, Kan./Andover) had two more.

The lead was short lived however as William Jewell countered that run with seven straight of its own behind four from Zinka Duric and three from Meeks. S&T cut the deficit to one on a couple of occasions but couldn't contain Meeks as she hit three free throws at the end of the half giving the Cardinals a 45-41.

S&T finished the frame shooting 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the field, went 4-for-10 from beyond the arc and hit seven of its eight free throws. Sample led all scorers with 19 points while Cooper and McLeod had eight and six points respectively. The Lady Miners turned it over 11 times resulting in 18 points for William Jewell.

After their hot start to the game the Cardinals went just 4-for-20 the rest of the half to finish at 42.4 percent (14-of-33). They connected on 7 of their 13 attempts from downtown and were 10-of-11 at the foul line. Meeks had 14 points while Hayli Jo Smith dropped home 12.

William Jewell extended its halftime lead to seven points six minutes into the second half, but S&T answered with 11 straight points to grab a 63-59 lead with 8:51 to play. Sample and Cooper scored all the points in the run.

William Jewell regained the lead 0:45 later on a three-pointer by Maddie Nelson. The two teams then proceeded to trade buckets for the next six minutes as the score was tied at 75 with 1:28 to go. Smith hit a three-pointer to put the Cardinals up by three with 1:13 remaining.

S&T had an opportunity to cut it to one, but Cooper went 1-for-2 at the line with 0:52 left. William Jewell extended the lead to five with 0:16 to play after making 3-of-4 at the charity stripe. Sample added a layup to make it 81-78 and then Meeks hit two free throws with 0:03 left to push the margin back to five. Erica Askew (Chicago, Ill./Morgan Park) hit a three-pointer at the buzzer for the final margin.

The Lady Miners hit 13 of their 22 field goals (59.1 percent) in the second half but went just 11-for-16 from the line and that proved to be the difference in the game. Sample finished the game shooting 12-for-16 from the floor and was 10-of-12 at the foul line. She also had seven rebounds and four steals. Cooper added 17 points and nine rebounds. Askew and McLeod had nine and eight points respectively.

The Cardinals shot 43 percent in the second half and finished the game making 42.9 percent (27-for-63) from the floor. They were 11-for-26 from three and 18-of-25 at the charity stripe. Meeks led three William Jewell players in double figures with 25 points while Smith added 18 and Maddie Nelson had 12.

S&T closes out the regular season on Thursday night when it hosts Drury at 5:30 p.m. It's also senior night for the Lady Miners as they'll honor their six seniors before the game.