BOLIVAR, Mo. – Coming off a win on Thursday, the Missouri S&T women's basketball team took the court Saturday at John Q. Hammons Court opposite Southwest Baptist in the final GLVC contest before the calendar turns over to 2022. The Miners (2-5, 1-2) played SBU close through three quarters, but the Bearcats (4-4, 2-1) pulled away in the late going to win 77-59.
The Miners won the opening tip but SBU forced a turnover and scored the first points of the afternoon before
Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) put the Miners ahead with a pair of layups over the next two minutes to make it 4-2. The Bearcats tied the game shortly after before Rodriguez again put S&T ahead with two free throws to make it a 6-4 game. Southwest Baptist then went on an 11-0 run to retake the lead 15-6 before Kateylnne Roberts broke up the run with a layup at the 3:08 mark. The Bearcats were able to briefly push their lead to 10 twice in the closing minutes of the period but free throws from
Jada Lindesmith (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lutheran) and Roberts allowed S&T to close within seven at 20-13 as the period ended.
Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) opened the second quarter with a blocked layup that turned into a Lindesmith triple on the other end to get the Green & Gold within four in first half minute of action. SBU was able to push their lead back to eight briefly before a
Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) layup at 8:14 made it a 24-18 game. Both sides struggled to score over the next two minutes until Roberts laid one in to again make it a four point contest, but the Bearcats answered with a three on the other end to make it 27-20. Undeterred, the Miners continued to battle as the quarter progressed and closed to within one at 29-28 following a 2-2 trip to the stripe from Roberts. SBU answered with a layup but the Miners got baskets from
Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) and Rodriguez to retake the lead with 2:36 to go before the intermission. The two sides traded baskets and the lead in the closing minutes of action, with S&T going up by three at 36-33 following makes from Kerr and
Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge). The Bearcats managed to tie the game at 36 on a three with 13 seconds remaining to send the team to the locker room even through 20 minutes.
Southwest Baptist scored first to open the third quarter and looked to try and pull away, but Missouri S&T would have none of it, battling with the Bearcats through the opening minutes of play. A triple from Lindesmith made it a one-point game at 43-42 with 7:56 to go, but SBU managed to maintain their lead as the Miners struggled shooting in the period, scoring just once from the field in the final 6:25 and trailing 54-46 heading to the final period.
The Bearcats pushed their lead to double-figures in the early moments of the final period at 59-46 before Keys and Rodriguez scored to get S&T back within nine. Unfortunately for the Miners, Southwest Baptist continued their strong shooting in the second half, pushing their advantage to 17 with just under five minutes to play. Back-to-back baskets from Keys briefly made it a 13-point deficit for the Green & Gold before SBU scored on their next two possessions. Freshman
Lilli Machado (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell) scored the final points of the day for the Miners before the Bearcats ended the day with a three in the final minute to get to the final tally of 77-59.
Rodriguez was the high-scorer for S&T with 14 points and added three boards, while Keys added 11 points on 5-7 shooting. Roberts finished with 10 points and narrowly missed a double-double, finishing with nine rebounds while also recording four assists and three steals. Lindesmith finished with nine points on 3-6 shooting while Puett came off the bench and recorded six rebounds.
The Miners will take a break from GLVC action until the new year and have a trio of contests before the Christmas break, first heading to Oklahoma Wednesday night for a matchup with Division I opponent Tulsa. The Miners, who will be playing the game as an exhibition, and Golden Hurricane will tip off at 6:30 P.M.
