LAS VEGAS, Nev. – A hot second half from the field by Montana State Billings sent Missouri S&T's men's basketball team to defeat in its first game at the Holiday Hoops Classic, as the Yellowjackets overcame a 10-point Miner lead to beat S&T 75-70 Saturday night at South Point Arena.
The Miners (7-3) led 29-23 at the half and built their lead to 10 after scoring the first four points of the second half, but the Yellowjackets (8-3) shot 57.7 percent over the final 20 minutes as they overtook the Miners for good with less than three minutes remaining.
Saturday's game opened with the Miners scoring the first eight points of the contest, only to see MSU Billings score the next 10 to take its first and only lead of the half. The Miners rebounded to take the lead back on two
Dylan Singleton (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) free throws at the 10:15 mark of the period and would maintain that advantage to the intermission, scoring seven of the final nine points of the half to take a six-point lead.
S&T held the Yellowjackets to 25.8 percent shooting in the opening half, but the tables turned shortly after the Miners opened the second half with baskets from
Julien Smith (Fort Worth, TX/Northwest) and
Ikenna Okeke (Bolingbrook, IL/Romeoville) to extend the margin to 10 in the first minute of play.
After leading 37-28, MSU Billings scored eight straight points to trim the lead to one before a basket by Okeke stopped that run. S&T would stay in front until the 13:39 mark when Steven Richardson drained a three-pointer out of the corner to tie the game at 41, then the Yellowjackets would grab their first lead in over 20 minutes three minutes later on another three-pointer by Richardson.
MSU Billings would take a four-point lead before the Miners evened things up when
Alex Benassi (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit) knocked down two free throws with 3:14 to go. However, the Yellowjackets got the lead back for good on their next trip down the floor on a short hook shot in the lane by Bilal Shabazz. MSU Billings scored on seven straight possessions after S&T had tied the contest up.
Lovell Williams (Rogers, MN/Maple Grove) led three Miners in double figures with 26 points, while Benassi scored a career-high 16 and Okeke finished with 13. S&T shot 40 percent overall for the game, but made only five of its 23 attempts from three-point range.
WIlliams also finished the contest with five assists and his first double-double of the season with a team-high 10 rebounds, while
Kaden Froebe (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) had six of S&T's 10 steals in the game and in the process, moved into 10th place on the all-time steals list at S&T.
Missouri S&T will play again on Sunday night in Las Vegas as it will face fourth-ranked West Liberty at 8 p.m. (Pacific time). The Hilltoppers suffered their first loss of the season Saturday when they fell to Lubbock Christian.
