LEBANON, Ill. – Missouri S&T's women's basketball team had a tough time finding the mark in its season opener Friday night as it fell 80-46 to 20
th-ranked Ferris State in the Midwest Regional Crossover at McKendree University.
S&T shot just 29.1 percent in the game as it fell behind early in the game and was only able to make any real headway into the Bulldogs' lead on a couple of occasions.
The Miners had the initial lead in the game at 2-0, but Ferris State took the lead for good in the half on a basket by Kenzie Bowers that started a 6-0 run. The Bulldogs shot 47.1 percent in the first half and built its lead to as much as 15 in the early stages of the second quarter before the Miners made a run to cut that margin nearly in half.
S&T went on a 7-0 run in the second quarter after Ferris State had gone up by 15, getting a basket from
Chorus Davis (Kansas City, MO/Lincoln College Prep) to start the run and a three-point play from
Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) to close it with a basket from
Katelynne Roberts (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) in between. However, the Bulldogs extended their lead back to 11 by the intermission as the Miners turned the ball over while playing for the last shot and Kaydn Blanchard make a lay-up right before the buzzer sounded to put the Bulldogs up 36-25 at the break.
In the second half, S&T made just five-of-24 from the floor while the Bulldogs were good on 20-of-36 to allow them to break the game open.
Puett led the Miners with a career-high 14 points and was the only Miner in double figures in the scoring column. Roberts and Davis added seven points apiece, while Roberts led S&T with seven rebounds and Davis had a team-leading three assists.
Chloe Idoni, the leading scorer for the Bulldogs last season, led all scorers in the contest with 23 points. Ferris State finished the game at 46.7 percent from the field.
The Miners will face Ohio Dominican Saturday in a 5 p.m. contest to complete their weekend of play in Lebanon.
