Box Score (Lebanon, Ill.) – The Missouri S&T Lady Miners held on for a 77-74 win at McKendree on Saturday getting a career-high 31 points from Karli Sample (St. Joseph, Mo./Benton) and a career-high 20 points from Kylie Cooper (Andover, Kan./Andover) at the Melvin Price Convocation Center in Lebanon, Ill. It's the second straight game the Lady Miners (8-13, 4-9 GLVC) had two players score 20 or more points in the same game after not having it happen since Nov. 24, 2006 when Tamara McCaskill and Nicole Dierking combined for 43 points in a loss to Lynn University in Topeka, Kan.

Sample's 31 points were the most a Lady Miner has scored in a game since McCaskill scored 30 points against Southern Indiana on January 31, 2009. Sample also had career-highs in field goals made (13) and matched her previous best of seven assists.

S&T led 39-33 at half and stretched to nine by the 13:42 mark after a basket by Cooper. The Lady Miners then went cold as the Bearcats (7-13, 2-10 GLVC) scored 17 of the next 19 to take the lead 63-57. It was their first lead since early in the game. Brittany Willis and Caty Ponce combined to score 10 of the 17 points in the run.

Sample put the team on her back for the next two minutes scoring 10 straight points to put S&T back in front 67-63 with 5:17 to play. Willis answered with two free throws after the under five minute media timeout, then Toni Knar (Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) answered on the ensuing possession with a three-pointer to push the lead to 70-65.

The Lady Miners got a couple of stops on the defensive end, but were unable to capitalize on those opportunities missing four straight shots. McKendree answered with four straight points getting a basket by Shannon McGinnis and two free throws from Ponce to cut it to 70-69 with 2:18 remaining.

S&T countered with a basket by Cooper and then Sample converted on an old-fashioned three-point play to make it a six point lead with 1:42 to go. The Bearcats answered with a basket from Amber Alexander and then after a Lady Miner miss Liz Gilman hit a layup in transition to make it 75-73 with less than a minute to play.

S&T turned it over on the next possession and McKendree had a chance to tie the game, but Gilman missed the second of two free throws with 0:30.2 left. The Bearcats made their first 20 free throws before that miss.

The Lady Miners got the rebound and Elsie Greenwood (Breckenridge, Mo./Penney High School) was fouled with 0:27 but she missed the front end of a 1-and-1 one. McKendree had the chance to take the lead as Willis drove to the basket and appeared to have a layup but Sample blocked the shot and Cooper got the rebound. She was fouled with 14.4 left and made both free throws to put S&T in front 77-74.

The Bearcats called a timeout with 10.6 left and drew up a play for Ponce. She got a look but Senait McLeod (Miami, Fla./Coral Reef) played great defense and Ponce's shot was off the mark. There was a scramble for the loose ball and Sample came away with it as the horn sounded.

The Lady Miners fell behind 12-4 to start the game before outscoring the Bearcats 35-21 the rest of the half to take the lead into the locker room. Sample and Cooper combined for 24 points in the stanza.

S&T finished the game shooting 49.2 percent (32-for-65) from the field, was 4-of-10 from beyond the arc but made just 60 percent of its attempts at the charity stripe. Sample and Cooper were the only players in double figures for the Lady Miners. S&T turned the ball over a season low nine times and finished with 22 assists.

McKendree shot 39.0 percent (23-for-59) for the contest, connected on 8-of-18 from behind the three-point line and was 20-for-21 at the foul line. Ponce led the way with 25 points for the Bearcats while Willis added 19. McKendree outrebounded the Lady Miners 39-to-34.

S&T returns home next Thursday to take on Lewis University beginning at 5:30 p.m.