ROLLA, Mo. -- Following a pair of sizable wins to begin the 2018-19 season, the Missouri S&T men's basketball team will get a big early test Saturday afternoon as it faces an improved Missouri Western team on Community Appreciation Day at Gibson Arena.

Saturday's game, which gets underway at 3 p.m. with free admission to all fans, will be the first of two for the Miners in a span of three days as they follow the Missouri Western contest with a trip to Kansas City on Monday to take on Lincoln as part of the MIAA Men's Basketball Challenge at Municipal Auditorium.  Monday's contest will begin at 2 p.m. as the first of four games in the event schedule that day.

At halftime of Saturday's game with Missouri Western, the renovated Gibson Arena will be dedicated with the benefactors of the project, Kristie and John Gibson, on hand for the event.

The Miners broke the century mark in each of their first two games, including scoring a school record 141 points Tuesday in its victory over Central Christian.  Seven players scored in double figures for S&T, led by newcomer Jordan Newt (San Francisco, CA/Malibu) with 23 points as he connected on seven-of-12 from three-point range.

Another newcomer, Yahmir Muhammad (Rockford, IL/Auburn) finished with 16 points and Nikola Andric (Uzice, Serbia/Gymnasium) had 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Newt and Dulan Scott (Chicago, IL/Farragut Academy) lead the Miners in scoring through the first two games with averages of 15 points per game; Scott had a team-high 21 points in the season-opening win last Saturday over Blackburn and is shooting 67 percent from the field thus far.

Missouri S&T, which has averaged 126 points in the first two games, has six players currently scoring in double figures, including Muhammad at 13 points a game and Nikola Andric (Uzice, Serbia/Gymnasium) at 11 per contest; Andric is also the team's rebounding leader with six per game.

ABOUT MISSOURI WESTERN: Missouri Western is off to a 3-1 start under the direction of new head coach Sundance Wicks, including a victory over a Fairmont State team that received votes in the NABC pre-season poll.

The Griffons -- who were rivals with the Miners in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association -- have the reigning player of the week in the MIAA in Lavon Hightower, who is averaging 20.8 points per game and has already knocked down 11 three-pointers.  Hightower led the Griffons in scoring in each of their first three games, including a 26-point effort in the win over Fairmont State.

Tyus Millhollin had 22 points in Western's most recent win, a 75-67 victory over Upper Iowa and is averaging 12.3 points per contest.  The Griffons have held opposing teams to 36.4 percent shooting from the field and 26.5 percent from three-point range.

ABOUT LINCOLN:  The Blue Tigers went 1-1 in their opening weekend of play, knocking off East Central to open the season before dropping a nine-point decision the following day to Minot State as part of a regional challenge event held at Southwest Baptist.

Lincoln has three players averaging in double figures on the season, led by Jonell Burton with an average of 17.5 points per game and Amariontez Ivory at 15.5 per contest.  Ivory had 20 points in Lincoln's 70-61 win over East Central, while Burton had 19 in that win and 16 the next day against Minot State.

The Blue Tigers, who will host Lane and LeMoyne-Owen this weekend prior to facing the Miners on Monday, shot 53.1 percent from the field during the opening weekend of action and connected on 19 three-point shots, seven of them coming from Ivory as he was seven-of-13 from long range.  L'Kielynn Taylor is Lincoln's top rebounder with 6.5 per game, while Ni'Sean Rigmaiden has a team-high five assists.