ROLLA, Mo. -- Missouri S&T will seek to complete a perfect month of December when it plays host to Principia Thursday in a New Year's Eve matinee at Billy Key Court. Game time is at 2 p.m.
The Miners have won five straigjht contests – all in the current month – and will look to win six straight for the first time since opening the 2003-04 campaign with six consecutive victories as they gave a Principia squad seeking to snap a four-game losing skid.
S&T is back in action for the first time since knocking off William Woods 102-97 on Dec. 20 behind 21 points from leading scorer
B.J. McLaughlin (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central). For the season, McLaughlin is averaging 15.7 points per game and is second on the team with 6.2 rebounds a game, trailing only
Rokas Paulauskas (Talsiai, Lithuania/Hamilton Heights Acad.)' mark of 8.5 boards a game.
Paulauskas lead the Great Lakes Valley Conference with 42 offensive rebounds as the Miners rank second nationally in that category as play resumes following the winter break; S&T is pulling down 16.6 boards per game on the offensive end.
Zach Ellis (St. Louis, Mo./Whitfield School) is also averaging in double figures for the 6-5 Miners with an average of 10.6 points per game.
The Panthers took a 3-4 record into the holiday break, but have lost their last four contests after a 3-0 start and an exhibition win over Maryville. Principia beat Maryville 82-81 in overtime on Nov. 6, then opened its season with wins over Illinois College, Loras and Lincoln Christian before dropping its last four.
Adadu Amunu leads a trio of Panthers averaging in double figures with a mark of 21.3 points per game to lead the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, while Justin Ball is averaging 13.6 points per game and Parker Davidson is at 12.4 a contest. Amunu has scored in double figures in all seven Principia games this season and also had 29 in the exhibition win over Maryville, while Ball scored 31 points in a recent setback to Webster.
The Panthers rank second in the SLIAC in field goal percentage at 47.7 percent and are averaging seven three-point baskets per game.
