QUINCY, Ill. – After rallying twice from nine-point deficits and getting a basket from
Micah Johnson (Ankeny, IA/Centennial) to get the game into overtime, Missouri S&T's men's basketball team had a perfect extra period on the offensive end that resulted in a 90-84 Great Lakes Valley Conference win over Quincy Monday night.
The Miners' victory ended a couple of streaks in the process, including a four-game losing streak of their own that improved their record to 7-9 overall and 3-6 in GLVC play. It also gave S&T its first win over the Hawks in Pepsi Arena in 12 tries in GLVC play, as the Miners won in Quincy for the first time since 1994 and also ended a string of six straight losses in overtime games dating back to the 2016-17 season.
S&T trailed 72-63 after Charles Callier hit a three-pointer with 4:18 remaining, but started clawing back into the game with a 7-0 run over the next minute to get back to within two. A basket by
Kaden Froebe (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) was followed by three free throws by
Julien Smith (Fort Worth, TX/Northwest) and then a steal and basket by Froebe to cut the lead to two with 3:18 left.
Mark Bradshaw knocked down a jumper with exactly two minutes left to extend the Hawk lead back to four, but Johnson hit a lay-up to cut that lead in half, then sank a 19-footer with nine seconds on the clock to knot the score at 74.
The Miners took the initial lead in overtime when
Dylan Singleton (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) hit two free throws, only to see Paul Zilinskas convert a three-point play to put the Hawks back in the lead. The teams traded baskets before the Miners went back in front when Froebe scored on a driving lay-up with 2:49 left.
S&T was up by three following a jumper by Smith, but Bradshaw – who scored all of his team-high 20 points after halftime - - hit a three at the 1:56 mark to even the score again at 82. However, the Miners responded as
Alex Strating (Wassenaar, Netherlands/American School of the Hague) scored off an assist from Smith to give S&T the lead for good with 1:34 to go.
After Callier missed a baseline jumper, Johnson scored on a hook shot in the lane with just 39 seconds to go to extend the Miner advantage to four. Callier missed from three-point range on Quincy's next trip down the floor and Smith grabbed the rebound, then proceeded to close out the win by making all four of his free throws over the final 18 seconds.
Quincy (9-9, 2-6 GLVC) also had a nine-point lead in the first half that the Miners wiped out before halftime, as S&T outscored the Hawks 18-7 to close the opening half of play with a 35-33 lead.
The Miners shot 56.5 percent in the second half and were a perfect five-of-five in overtime to finish the evening at 54.5 percent from the field. S&T also made all six of its free throw attempts in the extra period, while holding Quincy to four-of-nine from the field and one-of-five from three-point range in the five extra minutes.
Smith matched his season high with 26 points and Strating scored a career-high 22 to lead four Miners in double figures in the scoring column. S&T also got 16 points from Froebe and a career-high 12 from Singleton in the victory that was the first for the Miners in overtime since beating Emporia State in double overtime early in the 2016-17 season.
The Hawks, who hit 13 three-pointers in the contest, shot 44.1 percent from the floor and were outrebounded by S&T by a 38-32 margin.
Missouri S&T will play twice at home later this week, beginning with a matchup Thursday against GLVC West Division leader Southwest Baptist at 7:30 p.m. The Miners will also host Rockhurst Saturday at 1 p.m.
