LIBERTY, Mo. – A back-and-forth affair between the two highest scoring teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference went in favor of William Jewell Saturday afternoon, as the Cardinals outlasted Missouri S&T's men's basketball team by a count of 108-93 at the Mabee Center.

The Miners (2-9, 0-3 GLVC) shot 50 percent from the field and hit 10 three-point baskets in the contest, but the Cardinals (8-8, 2-2 GLVC) were even better as they made 55.6 percent of their shots with 10 threes as well in a game they led from start to finish.

Jewell hit two of those three-pointers early in the game to take a six-point lead in the first three minutes of play, but the Miners hung in the contest and had the lead down to two at 25-23 when Yahmir Muhammad (Rockford, IL/Auburn) hit a three-point basket at the 8:37 mark.  After a brief run by the Cardinals, S&T cut the margin to five on a Mitch Fairless (St. Charles, MO/Duchesne) basket with 6:38 to play in the half before Jewell outscored S&T 19-8 over the next five minutes to take its largest lead of the half.

S&T trailed by 13 at halftime, then fell into a 17-point hole early in the second half before making a spirited run to get back within striking distance.

The Cardinals had a 14-point lead following a lay-in by Nick Bradley with 14:50 remaining, but S&T began chipping away at the margin and got it under double figures when Jalen Myers (Shorewood, IL/Minooka) hit three free throws with 13:32 to play.  A jumper by CJ Hedgepeth (Evansville, IN/Harrison) on S&T's next trip down the floor cut the Jewell lead to seven, then a three by Hedgepeth moments later made it a four-point game.

After the teams swapped baskets, Hedgepeth – who matched his career high with 23 points – drew the Miners to within two with a jumper, but that would end up being as close as the Miners would get as the Cardinals answered with a 10-0 run to extend their lead back to 12.

S&T had five others in double figures besides Hedgepeth, as Myers tallied 16 points and Dulan Scott (Chicago, IL/Farragut Academy) and Juwan Miller (Kitchener, Ont./Huron Heights) finished with 12 each.  The other two in double figures with 10 apiece were Muhammad and Romain Louiserre (La Ferte Alais, France/Fredrick Fays).

Keith Hayes, who leads the GLVC in scoring with an average of nearly 22 points per contest, had a game-high 33 points for the Cardinals.  Byron Harp added 21 as Jewell had five players finish in double figures and scored 27 points in the game off of S&T's 19 turnovers.

The Miners return to Gibson Arena Thursday to face Lewis in a 7:30 p.m. contest.