ROLLA, MO- The Miners will hit the road for the final time this season, heading north to take on the Prairie Stars of Illinois Springfield on Thursday night and the Flyers of Lewis University on Saturday afternoon.

S&T suffered back-to-back losses this past weekend to extend their losing skid out to six.

Missouri S&T nearly got by the Screaming Eagles of Southern Indiana this past Saturday, taking as much as a six point lead late in the game.

With less than six minutes left in the game, Tristen McFeders (Kansas City, Mo./Bishop Miege) laid in a basket to put the Miners up 66-60. Southern Indiana would turn around and score 11 straight points to regain their lead. The Screaming Eagles would outscore the Miners 14-10 in the final three minutes of the game to take the 79-70 win.

For the season, Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) has had the hot hand for the Miners, scoring a team-best 13.0 points/game while post players Mykala Baylor (South Bend, Ind./Clay) and Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) are chipping in 11.6 and 11.2, respectively. Baylor has also been a force on the defensive end of the court, recording 49 blocks so far this season while also leading the team with 10.4 rebounds/game.

About Illinois Springfield:
The Prairie Stars (7-15, 2-12 GLVC) are currently on a five game losing skid that was extended this past Saturday when they went up against the top-ranked Panthers of Drury University. Elevan different UIS players scored in the 114-54 loss with Jasmine Sangster and Lauran Ladowski leading the way with nine points each.

For the season, Lauren Ladowski leads the team with 15.1 points/game while also bringing down a team second-best 5.0 rebounds. Tehya Fortune, Jasmine Sangster, and Malea Jackson are the next closest in scoring, each chipping in just over nine points each/contest, while Katelyn Rosner is grabbing 6.0 boards each game.

Against opponents, Illinois Springfield has struggled; while their competiton is scoring just over 70 points/game, the Prairie Stars are coming up with 67.18 points. However, UIS has won the battle on the boards overall this season.

Historically, the Miners have seen great success against the Prairie Stars going 11-2 against them all-time. While UIS broke S&T's seven game winning streak against them back in 2017, the Miners got back on track last season with an 83-77 win in Springfield.

Last season when the two teams met, the Miners used a big offensive push in the third quarter to break away from the Prairie Stars. Four different S&T players scored in double figures with Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) leading the way with 24 points. Mykala Baylor (South Bend, Ind./Clay), Jordan Kabetske (Republic, Mo./Republic), and Michaela Davis (Keokuk, Iowa/Keokuk) all chipped in 18, 17, and 16, respectively in the 83-77 win.

About Lewis:
The Flyers (14-8, 11-3 GLVC) come into the weekend off a 69-50 win over the Bearcats of Southwest Baptist to move them into 2^nd place in the GLVC PRS standings.

Lewis had a big offensive third quarter to help extend their lead over SBU out to as much as 20. That push was all they needed to collect the 19-point win.

Rachel Hinders led the way in all categories for the Flyers on Saturday, scoring 23 points and adding in 13 rebounds and five assists.

For the season, Hinders leads the way for Lewis with 19.1 points/game while Kaitlyn Williams is adding in just over 10 points per contest. Hinders is also bringing down a team-best 7.2 rebounds while Morgan Glatczak has recorded 57 blocks so far this season.

Historically, the Miners have not had much luck against the Flyers, winning just three of the last 18 match-ups. The last S&T win came back in 2013 when the Miners got four late free-throws to secure them the 69-62 win.

Last season when the two teams met, the duo of Hinders and Jessica Keliher combined for 33 points and kept the Miners offense at bay. The one lone Miner to get past the Flyers defense was Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy), who went 7-9 from the field for 15 points. It would not be enough to muscle past Lewis as they went on to take the 74-48 win.

The Flyers will face off against the Saints of Maryville University on Thursday night before hosting the Miners on Saturday afternoon.