ROLLA, Mo. – Playing at home at home for the first time in the month of February, the Missouri S&T women's basketball team took the court opposite McKendree Thursday night at Gibson Arena for another Great Lakes Valley Conference contest. The Miners (8-12, 5-9) used a dominant second quarter to establish a commanding lead and never looked back for the remainder of the game, going on to a 35-point win over the Bearcats (3-17, 2-11) by a final score of 94-59.
McKendree won the tip, but it was the Miners who scored first on a pair of
Laura Rodriguez (Gran Canaria, Spain/Baloncesto Torrelodones) free throws to get the evening underway. S&T led for the first two and half minutes before the Bearcats tied the game and took the lead at 9-7 with 6:51 to play. The visitors continued to lead and increased their margin to as much as 10 at 20-10 with 3:52 to play before S&T closed the period on a 12-1 run to regain the advantage.
Alex Kerr (St. Louis, Mo./St. Joseph's Academy) got things going with a jumper before
Michaela Davis (Keokuk, Iowa/Keokuk) nailed a corner three to make it 20-15. Another Kerr layup made it a three-point affair before McKendree went 1-2 at the line to push the lead back to four at 21-17. Davis hit a jumper with a minute to go to close within one and after a mad scramble for the ball off a deflection with the shot clock running down, Davis heaved a desperation three and managed to bank it in from 26 feet out to retake the lead 22-21.
It was all S&T in the second quarter as the Green & Gold opened up the period on a 10-0 run from Kristin Keys,
Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township),
Jada Lindesmith (Cincinnati, Ohio/Lutheran) and Rodriguez to lead by 11 at 32-21 at the 7:49 mark. A pair of Bearcat free throws followed by a jumper broke things up but the floodgates were already open as the Miners popped off a quick 7-0 run to lead by 14 at 39-25. Kerr, Lindesmith,
Chorus Davis (Kansas City, MO/Lincoln College Prep) and
Michaela Davis (Keokuk, Iowa/Keokuk) helped S&T extend the lead to as much as 24 with 96 seconds left in the half at 50-26 but the Bearcats were scored the final three points heading to the half to make it a 50-29 game as they were outscored 28-8 in the period.
The third quarter started out at a rather pedestrian pace as McKendree was able to get within 14 points with 5:56 on the clock at 53-39 but another quick 7-0 run for S&T courtesy of Kerr and Durk quickly pushed the lead back to 21 at 60-39. S&T continued to build their advantage, going up by 26 following an
Addyson Kent (North Vernon, IN/Jennings County) three at the 2:28 mark to make it 69-43. A
Katelynne Roberts (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) layup made it a 28-point game in the final minute, but the Bearcats ended the period with a 1-2 trip to the line to make it 73-46 through 30 minutes.
A Durk three-pointer opened the fourth quarter and pushed the S&T lead to 30 for the first time in the game and was followed by a Rodriguez layup to make it 78-46.
Chorus Davis (Kansas City, MO/Lincoln College Prep) got back in the action with a triple at the 5:45 mark to make it 83-48 before the visitors managed to get a few baskets and trim the margin back to 30. Kent hit two more from long range in the final 61 seconds, the latter of which closed out the evening as S&T rolled to the 94-59 win.
Kerr posted her second consecutive double-double and did so in the first half, as she finished the night with 18 points and tied a career high with 17 rebounds in the game while also registering two blocks. Rodriguez also finished with 18 points in just 17 minutes on 6-9 shooting from the field.
Michaela Davis (Keokuk, Iowa/Keokuk) and
Marta Durk (O'Fallon, Ill./O'Fallon Township) also went for double-figures in the game, scoring 14 and 12 respectively and combining to go 9-16 from the field. Five other Miners also scored in the game as all 14 players who dressed checked into the game over the course of the action.
Up next, the Miners host #23 Missouri-St. Louis Saturday at 1 PM at Gibson Arena for Military Appreciation Day, presented by Dickey's Barbeque Pit and Realty Executives/Ferrell Associates.
