Box Score ROLLA, Mo. – The Drury team that Missouri S&T's men's basketball team saw Thursday night looked nothing like the one that has been on the court for the past month, as the fifth-ranked Panthers – who have been pulling out close wins over the past five weeks – rolled through the Miners in the first half and came away with an 88-67 victory at Billy Key Court.

S&T's loss Thursday, coupled with Missouri-St. Louis' win at Maryville and Rockhurst's victory over William Jewell will send the Miners to St. Louis for a date with UMSL Sunday in the opening round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament. The Miners (12-14, 7-11 GLVC) and Tritons will play at 3 p.m. Sunday; the Miners took an 85-79 decision in the only meeting between the teams this season in Rolla on Jan. 25.

The Panthers made 18 of their 22 shots from the floor in the opening half and finished the night at 68.9 percent from the field to win a game by more than seven points for just the second time since Jan. 23. They used an early blitz in the game to take control in by the middle of the opening half.

The Miners were within two at 9-7 after two Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) free throws at the 16:13 mark, but Drury scored on four straight possessions – most of the damage being done by Ian Carter – to build an 11-point lead just under six minutes into play.

Drury would extend that advantage to 14 by the 10:32 mark and to as much as 26 in a first half where the Panthers led 52-30 at the intermission.

While the Panthers were shooting at an 82 percent clip in the first 20 minutes, the Miners were struggling from the floor as they made just 11-of-33 in the first half. Foster scored 17 of his game-high 30 points in the opening period.

Foster, one of three Miner seniors playing in their final home game Thursday, hit four of the six three-pointers the Miners connected on in the contest. He was joined in double figures by Zachary Ellis (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School) with 12 points,

Ellis and Foster combined to go 15-of-29 from the floor, but the rest of the Miners made just nine-of-31 and no shots from beyond the arc against a Drury team that has held its opponents to just 29.5 percent from long range on the season.

Cameron Adams led four Panthers (24-2, 16-2 GLVC) in double figures with 20 points.