BOLIVAR, Mo. - The Missouri S&T women's basketball team opened the Great Lakes Valley Conference road slate with an impressive 76-54 win over Southwest Baptist Saturday afternoon at the Meyer Sports Center.

The win allowed S&T (3-4, 1-0 GLVC) to open a conference season on the winning side of the ledger for the first time in three seasons and was its first win over the Bearcats in Bolivar since the final day of the 1993-94 regular season, which ended a 14-game skid in games played at SBU.

The Miners came out by making seven of its first 10 shots to begin the game. At the 8:29 mark, SBU took a four-point lead on a layup by Claudia Vanzant, but the lead was short-lived as S&T went on a 6-0 run over the next three minutes started by a three-pointer by Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy). S&T closed out the first quarter on a 10-2 run, resulting in a 24-14 advantage. 

S&T started the second quarter on a 7-0 run started on a layup by Kerr and used its defense to build the lead throughout the second quarter.  The Bearcats made only one shot in eight attempts during the period -- a three-point basket by Kristin Edmonds at the 3:17 mark – and forced SBU into eight turnovers as well to take a 43-19 advantage into the break.

For the first half, Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) and Alex Kerr (St. Louis, MO/St. Joseph's Academy) each contributed 10 points as the Miners shot 50 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from beyond the arc.  S&T also outscored the Bearcats 18-4 in the paint to help build the 24-point lead.

The Miners began the third quarter on a 8-0 run and by the 5:41 mark, the Miners gained its biggest lead of 34 on a layup by Rodriguez. In the fourth quarter, S&T held the Bearcats to just 36.8% shooting and allowed just one made three-pointer in the second half.  

Kerr led S&T with 18 points while bringing down 10 rebounds for her 24th-career double-double, and also had two blocked shots that moved her into a tie for third place on the all-time list at S&T with 131.  Kerr's 10 rebounds also vaulted her into third in that career category as well.

Rodriguez contributed 16 points while shooting seven-of-13 from the field, while the Miners had two additional players in double figures in Kristen Keys (St. Louis, MO/Westminster Christian Academy) with 12 points and Anna Finley (Owensville, MO/Owensville) with 10. Michaela Davis (Keokuk, Iowa/Keokuk) led the Miners with five assists and went four-of-eight from the field. As a team, the Miners finished the game at 47.1 percent from the field and 35 percent from behind the arc.

Opponents Leaders:
The Bearcats (3-3, 0-1 GLVC) were led by Leikyn Walker with 13 points as she went three-of-three from beyond the arc, while SBU's only other double figure scorer was Tori Hamilton with 10 points.  Emma Perry, SBU's leading scorer entering the game, was held to four points on two-of-seven from the field.   

For the game, SBU shot 35.6 percent from the field and 23.5 percent from three-point land after entering the game ranked second in the GLVC in three-point shooting.  The Bearcats scored only three points on Miner turnovers.

The Miners continue GLVC competition at seventh-ranked Drury on Monday at 5:30 p.m. in Springfield, Mo at O'Reilly Family Events Center.
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