ROLLA, MO- The Miners picked up a much-needed win over the Hawks of Quincy University (0-8, 0-7 GLVC) tonight thanks to a 2^nd half offensive push from S&T. The 76-61 win marks the Miners first win in the new year.

S&T's defense was the star of the show in the opening quarter; the Miners held the Hawks to just 12.5% shooting from the floor and allowed them to score just 10 points in the opening 10 minutes of play.

Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) and Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) sparked the offensive game for the Miners to start. They combined for the team's first 11 points of the game before Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) sank a lay-up and a free-throw to complete the three-point play and give S&T a 14-7 lead.

Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) would get in on the fun before the first quarter ended, draining a three-pointer from the win to give the Miners a 10-point advantage.

Quincy would add in three free-throws before the end of the quarter and faced a 17-10 deficit.

The Miners would push their lead out to as much as 11 after Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) drained a jumper from the elbow with 6:54 remaining in the half.

QU's offense got some momentum before the break, going on a 15-8 run to end the second quarter and turn the Miners double-digit lead into a 33-31 game.

After S&T opened the third quarter on a 6-0 run and pushed their lead back out to eight, the Miners and the Hawks traded baskets for the better part of four minutes. It wouldn't be until 2:06 left in the quarter when S&T began to break away from Quincy.

Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) started a 7-0 run for the Miners that would put them up 54-43 heading into the final 10 minutes of play.

Quincy tried to make it close, getting within seven of the Miners early in the quarter, but S&T's offense held strong, outscoring the Hawks 22-18 and eventually taking the 76-61 win.

Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) led the way for the Miners with 17 points while Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy), Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township), and Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) chipped in 15, 14, and 14, respectively. Kerr also had a game-high 11 rebounds to record her 5^th double-double of the season.

As a team, Missouri S&T (2-7, 2-7 GLVC) finished the game shooting 46.8% from the field and went 14-17 from the free-throw line.