LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Missouri S&T was able to make things difficult at times for fourth-ranked West Liberty Sunday night, but was unable to overtake the Hilltoppers as they came away with a 96-88 win at the Holiday Hoops Classic at Southpoint Arena.
The Miners (7-4) never led in the game – the first time that has happened this season – as West Liberty used its fast-paced style to jump out to an early 12-2 lead. S&T was able to cut into the margin and had it down to three on two occasions in the first half, trimming it to 18-15 on a basket by
Ikenna Okeke (Bolingbrook, IL/Romeoville) at the 13-minute mark and again at 22-19 after
Kaden Froebe (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) hit two free throws with 11:52 to go in the half.
West Liberty (10-1), who lost for the first time on Saturday, pushed the lead back into double figures by the 7:22 mark and eventually led by 12 at the intermission.
The Miners opened the second half by scoring the first six points and got to within six on a put-back by
Lovell Williams (Rogers, MN/Maple Grove), but the Hilltoppers were able to get the margin back over 10 after a three-point basket by Christian Montague with five minutes gone in the half. S&T was able to get the margin back into single digits following a fast break basket by Froebe midway through the half before West Liberty pushed the lead out to as much as 19.
S&T made a late push to get the final margin down to eight in a game where it shot 51.6 percent from the field – the Miners' sixth game over 50 percent this season. However, the Miners made only three-of-14 from three-point range and were only 21-of-32 at the free throw line.
Okeke and Williams led five Miners in double figures with 18 points apiece, while
Julien Smith (Fort Worth, TX/Northwest) finished with 17 and Froebe with 15. The fifth S&T player in double figures was
Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette), who had nine rebounds and four blocked shots to go along with his 11 points.
Bryce Butler, the nation's fourth-leading scorer, led the Hilltoppers with 29 points while Malik McKinney added 20. West Liberty shot 52.2 percent from the floor, but made only six-of-18 from three-point range after entering the contest as the national leader with 12.5 three-point baskets per game.
Missouri S&T also outrebounded the Hilltoppers 39-32 and forced 17 WLU turnovers, but had 22 turnovers itself in the contest. S&T also blocked eight shots in the game.
The Miners will return to action on Dec. 30 when they host Baptist Bible at 3 p.m. at Gibson Arena. The S&T basketball teams will host a youth camp on Dec. 29 for children in grades one through six; camp attendees will receive free admission to the Dec. 30 basketball doubleheader.
