ROLLA, Mo. – A fast start and finish, coupled with its best shooting performance of the season, propelled Missouri S&T's men's basketball team to 94-77 win Saturday afternoon over McKendree in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest at Gibson Arena.
Backed by the trio of
Julien Smith (Fort Worth, TX/Northwest),
Ikenna Okeke (Bolingbrook, IL/Romeoville) and
Lovell Williams (Rogers, MN/Maple Grove) – who combined to score 67 points – the Miners shot 62.1 percent from the field as they jumped out to as much as a 16-point lead in the first half and after the Bearcats cut the lead down to one three different times in the second half, used a surge over the final seven-plus minutes to pull away.
The Miners (10-4, 4-2 GLVC) came out of the gate flying, making their first nine shots from the field to take a double figure lead early in the contest. A lay-in by
Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) at the 16:52 mark gave S&T a 10-point lead at 14-4 to prompt an early timeout for the Bearcats (6-7, 2-4 GLVC), then the last of the run of field goals – a driving layup by Williams – extended the Miner lead to 23-12 with just over six minutes gone in the opening half.
S&T would eventually extend its lead to 16 after a jumper by Okeke at the 8:10 mark before the Bearcats began to chip into the margin, cutting it to seven before baskets by Williams and
Kaden Froebe (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) before the half ended pushed the lead back to 11 by the intermission.
The Miners had the 11-point lead on the strength of shooting 65.5 percent from the field during the first 20 minutes, including going 15-of-19 inside the three-point line.
When the second half began, the Bearcats quickly cut the S&T lead down to three by making their first eight shots from the floor; a lay-in by Milos Vicentic trimmed the lead to 56-53 with just over five minutes played. Moments later, Vicentic scored after getting an offensive rebound to make it a one-point game, then Bryson Bultman answered a Young basket to bring McKendree back to within a point again at 58-57.
But on S&T's next trip down the floor, Smith was fouled and got two free throw opportunities. After making the first, Smith was off the mark on the second but Young grabbed the offensive rebound and got the ball back to Smith, who proceeded to drill a three-pointer for a five-point Miner lead.
The four-point possession sparked a 9-0 run that extended the S&T lead back to nine, but a 10-2 surge by McKendree brought the lead back to one again with just under eight minutes remaining. Following a three-pointer by Bultman that made the score 70-69,
Dylan Singleton (Lincoln, IL/Lincoln) hit a three from the wing to start the 9-0 run that led to S&T outscoring the Bearcats 24-8 over the final 7:17.
The run extended the lead back into double figures and McKendree got within 10 just twice over that final span. On both occasions, S&T responded with a basket to add to its advantage, first on a three-pointer by Froebe and later on a lay-in by Williams late in the shot clock with 3:38 remaining.
Smith had a game-high 25 points to lead the Miners, while Williams finished with 22 and Okeke with 20, marking the first time since Dec. 18, 2020 that S&T had three 20-point scorers in the same game. The 62.1 percent mark from the field was also S&T's best shooting mark in a game since Feb. 11, 2012 when it made 66.7 percent of its attempts in a win over Maryville.
Young was the fourth Miner in double figures with 10 points, while Williams added five assists and three steals.
Missouri S&T will open a three-game road trip Thursday when it plays at Indianapolis in a 7:30 p.m. (Eastern time) game.
