RENSSELAER, Ind. – Missouri S&T used a huge run to open the second half and survived the Cameron Vines show to win for the first time in Great Lakes Valley Conference play Friday, knocking off Saint Joseph's 111-99 behind a balanced scoring effort.

The Miners had five players in double figures to come away victorious in the high-scoring affair, allowing them to offset a 38-point performance by the GLVC's leading scorer.  S&T – who trailed for a  large portion of the first half and by as many as 12 at one juncture – seized control of the game by outscoring the Pumas 31-9 over the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Saint Joseph's came of the gate flying, connecting on its first four shots from the field and building a 17-5 lead within the first four minutes of play.  The Miners kept digging into the lead during the half, but the Pumas had a 10-point advantage after a lay-in by Vines at the 9:41 mark.

S&T, however, rattled off 14 of the next 18 points to knot the score at 39 on a tip-in by Michael Nesbitt (Evansville, Ind./LaLumiere School), then took its first lead of the game on its next possession when Nesbitt drilled a three-pointer at the 4:36 mark.

The Pumas did regain the lead late in the half on Corey Howard's free throws in the final minute and had a chance to add to it, but a steal by Clement Bonardo (LaFarlede, France/Costebelle) led to a basket by Nesbitt in the waning seconds to send the teams to the locker room tied at 53.

The play that allowed the Miners to tie the contest became a recurring theme in the early minutes of the second half, as the Miners forced a number of Puma turnovers that turned into points at the other end.

Saint Joseph's led 56-55 after Vines made the first of two free throws with 18:24 to play, then the Miners rattled off 10 straight points to take command.  Juwan Miller (Kitchener, Ont./Huron Heights)'s three-point after the Vines free throw gave S&T the lead, then he made a steal that led to a Nesbitt lay-up to push the margin to four.

Bonardo scored again after a Puma turnover, then another three-pointer by Miller – after the Miners had grabbed two offensive rebounds on the possession – gave the Miners a nine-point lead.

The Miners continued to add onto the lead, pushing it out to 17 by the 13:33 mark and eventually to 22 on a trey by Nesbitt with 10:27 remaining.

S&T got 22 points from Nesbitt, which tied his career high and from Desmond Buerge (Carthage, Mo./Carthage), who reached a career-best in the contest.  Zach Ellis (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School) had 17 points, while Bonardo and Miller had 16 apiece; Miller also finished the night with six assists and five of S&T's 15 steals.

The Miners shot 47.4 percent in the game, but hit a season-high 15 three-pointers in 29 attempts (51.7 percent) as seven players connected from long range.

Saint Joseph's shot 55 percent in the game, but was done in by 27 turnovers that the Miners turned into 38 points.  S&T also had 31 second chance points as it accumulated 22 offensive rebounds.

Besides the 38 by Vines, the Pumas (3-9, 0-2 GLVC) also got 22 points from Dawson Gore, which included six of the Pumas' 10 three-point baskets.

The Miners improved to 8-2 overall – their best start after 10 games in 18 seasons -- and 1-1 in the GLVC with the victory. They complete their weekend swing Sunday when they face seventh-ranked Indianapolis in a 2:15 p.m. (Central time) contest.  The Greyhounds improved to 10-0 Friday by knocking off 19^th-ranked Drury 74-56.