ROLLA, Mo. – After playing three games in five days last weekend, the Missouri S&T women's basketball will tee it up all over again with another busy stretch three more games over the coming days starting Thursday at Gibson Arena with matchups against Southwest Baptist, Rockhurst and Indianapolis.
 
The Miners (6-8, 3-5) have won two of their last three games coming into the new week looking to keep their winning ways going. Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) continues to lead S&T in scoring with 13.7 PPG and is coming off her fifth-straight double-figure game Monday. Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) raised her scoring average to 13.2 PPG and now leads S&T with 6.1 RPG after posting a 21-point 12-rebound double-double Monday that saw her surpass the 1,000-point mark for her career. Rodriguez leads the team with 30 assists while Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) has 29 to her credit along with a team-leading 24 steals. Freshman Katelynne Roberts' (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) 26 blocked shots continue to remain the high-water mark in the conference this season wile Kerr has collected 14 in just nine games, including four against Quincy on Monday.
 
The Bearcats (9-7, 4-4) have dropped two of their last three contest and got back into the win column Monday with a 61-54 win over William Jewell. Kyleigh Vaught is SBU's lone double-figure scorer this season with 13.2 PPG and also leads the team in 48 assists. Nyah Pettus (9.5 PPG) is the team's leading rebounder with 6.9 RPG and also is tops on the club with 14 blocked shots. Faith Gilkey has come off the bench to collect 31 steals on the defensive side of the ball as SBU is one of the top teams in the GLVC this season in that category. Gilkey also leads the team in three-point percentage, shooting at a .429 clip and is one of three Bearcats with more than 20 triples this season, joined by Vaught and Emma Perry who has made 36 shots from beyond the arc this year.
 
SBU picked up a 77-59 win over the Miners in Bolivar back in December, outscoring S&T 41-23 in the second half after going into halftime tied at 36. Rodriguez scored 14 to lead the Miners and was joined in double figures by Roberts and Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy).
 
The Hawks (8-4, 4-2) have won three of their last four games and had a chance to make it three against then #1 Drury Saturday but the Panthers were able to dodge the upset and snap RU's winning streak that included a 77-73 win over S&T in Kansas City to open the new year. Daly Sullivan leads the Hawks with 17.4 PPG and is joined by her sister Keegan (13.7 PPG) and Molly Hummel (10.6 PPG) as the only players averaging double figures this season. Regan Dodd is Rockhurst's leading rebounder with 87 on the season, good for 7.3 per game while the latter Sullivan and Hummel both average better than six rebounds per contest. Ella Wedergren's 20 steals lead the team while a trio of players are tied for the team lead with eight blocks.
 
In the first game of the season between the two teams, RU was able to retake the lead in the final minute of action to hang on in a fast-paced high-scoring affair and take a 77-73 win. Kerr dropped 23 points on the Hawks in that game while Rodriguez added 16 and Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) chipped in 10.
 
The Greyhounds (4-10, 1-5) have lost three-straight games and will play Lewis Thursday before making the trip to Rolla Monday. Three Greyhounds are scoring in double figures each night, led by Sadie Hill (13.1 PPG) along with Taylor Drury (11.6 PPG) and Marissa Knobloch (10.0 PPG). Hill and Drury are also UIndy's leading rebounders with 5.4 and 5.1 RPG respectively. Iliani Williams-Harris leads the team with 40 assists with Elana Wells leading the way in steals with 18. UIndy has blocked 33 shots this year and Hill has led the way in that category with 14. When it comes to shooting the three, Knoblauch leads the club with 34 triples and is shooting .400 from deep.
 
All-time in the series, S&T is 4-12 against the Greyhounds and have lost two-straight and eight of the last nine games, including a 79-72 game in Rolla last season. The Miners last win in the series came in Rolla in 2019 by a score of 81-61.