ROLLA, Mo. – Conference play begins for Missouri S&T's men's basketball team this weekend, but not before the Miners play one more non-conference game on the night prior to Thanksgiving as S&T hosts University of Health Sciences & Pharmacy at Gibson Arena in a 7 p.m. game.

After the Miners play the Eutectics, the Great Lakes Valley Conference slate gets underway Saturday afternoon when S&T heads to Bolivar, Mo., to face 22nd-ranked Southwest Baptist at 3 p.m.  Missouri S&T will also play on Monday when it returns to the southwest part of the state for a matchup with Drury at 7:45 p.m.

Before the first conference game, however, the Miners will seek to win for the fourth straight time to open the campaign, while also seeking its first four-game winning streak since winning four straight around the first of the 2022 calendar year.  S&T improved to 3-0 after running past Westminster 107-65 in its home opener last Tuesday.

Julien Smith (Fort Worth, TX/Northwest) led the Miners with 24 points in the win – connecting on five of S&T's 13 three-point baskets along the way – and enters Wednesday's game averaging 17 points per game on the young season.   He is among six Miners averaging in double figures, a group led by Ikenna Okeke (Bolingbrook, IL/Romeoville) with an average of 17.3 points per game that ranks fourth in the GLVC.

Smith is currently fifth in scoring in the conference and Kaden Froebe (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) is ninth with his average of 14.7 points per game.  Froebe is also the GLVC leader in field goal percentage at 76 percent and in steals with three per game, while also ranking fifth in rebounding with nine per contest as he has already recorded two double-doubles this season.

S&T's other double figure scorers are Lovell Williams (Rogers, MN/Maple Grove) with an average of 12 points per game, Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) with his mark of 10.3 per contest after scoring 21 in the win over Westminster and Michael Appiah Brefo (Jefferson City, MO/Jefferson City), who has recorded 10 per game thus far.

The Miners are shooting a GLVC-best 54.1 percent from the field and also lead the conference in steals (10.3 per game), blocked shots (4.3 per game), rebounding margin at plus 13 per contest and scoring with 91.7 points per game.

ABOUT UHSP: The Eutectics, who will be playing Wednesday's game as an exhibition contest, is currently 0-6 on the season after an 81-67 loss Monday at Brescia and has lost three games played since Thursday.  All six of UHSP's losses have been by double figure margins; its closest setback was a 73-60 loss Saturday to Williams Baptist.

Trae Meny leads two players averaging in double figures with an average of 10.4 points per game, while Jason Udolisa is scoring 10 points per contest and Mason Ballay is just short of the double figure mark at 9.3 per game.  The Eutectics are shooting 42.3 percent from the field as a team but just 24.2 percent from three-point range, with Darius Dorsey leading the team with 11 treys.

Udolisa is the top rebounder for UHSP with 6.2 per game, while Grant Harper leads the way with 42 assists and 13 steals.

ABOUT SOUTHWEST BAPTIST: The Bearcats, picked to finish second in the GLVC this season after winning the regular season championship a year ago, brings a 4-0 record into Saturday's game after posting a 76-45 win over Ecclesia Monday night behind 14 points from Drenin Dinkins.

Quinn Nelson leads the Bearcats in scoring with an average of 16.5 points per game and has made a team-high 13 three-point field goals by making 46.4 percent of his long-range attempts on the year.  Nelson is also tied for the league lead in three-pointers per game.

The Bearcats, ranked 22nd in the first NABC/Division II coaches poll of the season released on Tuesday, have five double figure scorers thus far on the season, with Noah Franklin averaging 13.3 points per contest and Dinkins scoring 13 per game.  SBU also has one of the league leaders in assists in Mitch Ganote, who has dished out 23 over the team's first three games of the year and had seven in Monday's win.

ABOUT DRURY:  The Panthers enter the week with a 2-1 record – with both wins coming over teams S&T beat in an opening weekend event – and will play twice prior to the Miners' visit on Monday.  Drury defeated Northwood and Lake Superior State by double figure margins, but lost at Rogers State last week 85-71.

Drury has three players averaging in double figures, paced by Riley Naeger's 13.7 points per contest; he is also shooting 71.4 percent from the field.  Preston Cook comes into the week averaging 12.3 points per contest and Adam Moore, a transfer from Quincy, is scoring 10.7 points a game and leads the Panthers with 5.7 rebounds per game.

Trey Lewis has 11 assists to lead Drury, while Brock Wakefield has a team-high five steals.