ST. CHARLES, Mo. – After overcoming a slow start and a 13-point deficit to draw even in the second half, Missouri S&T's men's basketball team couldn't completely overcome a Lindenwood run that followed as it dropped a 78-73 Great Lakes Valley Conference decision Thursday night at Hyland Arena.

The Miners (3-5, 1-1 GLVC) made just two field goals in the first four-plus minutes of play and fell behind by 11 in that span to a Lion squad that made eight of its first 10 shots and its first four three-pointers.  The Lindenwood lead eventually grew to 13 at 23-10 following a three-point play by Anthony Christian with 12:49 remaining in the half.

S&T began to chip away at the margin, using a 9-0 to get to within two with 3:34 left in the half following a pair of free throws by CJ Hedgepeth (Evansville, IN/Harrison).  The Miners then got the lead down to one twice before the half ended, the last time on Nolan Lamb's (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit North) basket with 37 seconds remaining, before TJ Crockett hit an leaning three-pointer to give the Lions a 36-32 lead at the intermission.

Lindenwood (7-3, 1-1 GLVC) led by six early in the second half, but the Miners outscored the Lions 8-2 over a three-minute span to tie the game following a three-pointer by Dulan Scott (Chicago, IL/Farragut Academy).  However, the Lions answered with a 7-0 run of their own that was sparked by a pair of baskets by Anthony Christian – who was a perfect nine-of-nine from the field as he scored a game-high 20 points in the contest.

Crockett, who also finished with 20 points, hit a three-pointer with 2:45 remaining to give the Lions a 71-62 lead before the Miners made one last run at them.  Jordan Newt (San Francisco, CA/Malibu) hit three-pointers on back-to-back possessions to bring S&T back to within three with just over two minutes to go, then after Vijay Blackmon made one-of-two at the line, Mitch Fairless (St. Charles, MO/Duchesne) scored inside to make it a two-point game with 1:35 left.

Following a Lindenwood turnover, the Lions fouled Dulan Scott (Chicago, IL/Farragut Academy) after he pulled down an offensive rebound, but he made just the second of the two attempts as the lead remained in the Lions' favor.  The Lions ran down the shot clock before getting the ball to Blackmon in front of his bench, where he knocked down a three-pointer to extend the margin to four with 34 seconds remaining.

The Miners then committed a turnover on their next possession and were forced to foul, where the Lions were able to hold off S&T over the final 25 seconds.

S&T had four players in double figures, led by Newt with 16 points and Scott with 15.  Fairless, playing in his hometown, recorded 13 points on the night and Hedgepeth was the fourth in double figures with 12.

The Miners shot 41.5 percent in the game and made eight-of-26 from three-point range, ending a three-game run with at least 10 treys.  Meanwhile, Lindenwood finished the contest at 54.2 percent from the field.

Missouri S&T will face Missouri-St. Louis, who improved to 11-1 and 2-0 in the GLVC Thursday following an 83-58 victory over Maryville, Saturday at 3 p.m. at UMSL.