LEBANON, ILL – Finishing up the weekend on the road, the Miners faced off against McKendree University. After a slow start, the Miners ended up scoring 54 points in the second half to make a comeback. However, they were not able to overcome their deficit from the opening half and fell to the Bearcats 86-81.

S&T found themselves down by as much as 11 in the opening quarter after McKendree's Christy Fortune drained a three-pointer to make it a 21-10 game. The Bearcats offense was hard to stop, getting another three-pointer at the buzzer to extend their lead out to 26-15 heading into the second quarter.

Both team's offenses were quiet in the second; after trading baskets for much of the quarter, the Miners found themselves down 39-27 heading into halftime.

The Miners offense caught fire in the third quarter. After trailing by double digits for most of the game, S&T was able to cut their deficit to 61-52 just before the end of the quarter when Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) sank two of the team's 20 made free-throws.

S&T's offensive streak continued in the fourth quarter. They continued to chip away at the Bearcats lead, getting within two points after buckets from Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) and Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) and two free-throws from Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge).

It came down to the final seconds of the game to decide a winner; Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) drained a lay-up with 16 seconds left in the game to put the Miners down 83-81. But, McKendree would add three more free-throws in the final 13 seconds of play to secure their 86-81 win.

Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) led the way for S&T today with 20 points, 13 rebounds, and four blocks while Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) added in 19 points and four assists. Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) chipped in 11 points and picked up five steals while Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) and Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) both scored 10 points each.

As a team, Missouri S&T (3-15, 3-15 GLVC) finished the game shooting 49.2 % from the field and went a perfect 20-20 from the free-throw line. They scored an amazing 54 points in the second half and forced the Bearcats in 14 turnovers that turned into 18 unanswered points for the Miners.