ROLLA, Mo. – Following a successful opening weekend that saw it pick up a pair of in-region wins, Missouri S&T's men's basketball team will play at home for the first time in the 2023-24 season Tuesday night when it hosts Manhattan Christian at Gibson Arena.  Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.

It will be the first of two games for the Miners in the upcoming week, as S&T will travel Saturday to Warrensburg, Mo., for a contest against former Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association rival Central Missouri at 7 p.m.  Saturday's game will be the Miners' last contest before they begin their Great Lakes Valley Conference schedule.

The Miners used big second half runs in both games to come away victorious, outscoring Michigan Tech 11-0 to take the lead for good in their 75-72 win Saturday, then making up a 12-point deficit with a 21-2 run Sunday to beat Northern Michigan 76-70.

In Saturday's win, Lovell Williams (Rogers, MN/Maple Grove) led the Miners with 25 points as he led three S&T players in double figures.  Williams averaged 20 points and 6.5 rebounds in the two victories, while adding nine assists, four blocked shots and four steals along the way.

Julien Smith (Fort Worth, TX/Northwest) led the Miners with 22 points in Sunday's win, including eight straight points in the midst of the decisive run that put S&T in the lead for good.  Smith averaged 15.5 points over the weekend, while Ikenna Okeke (Bolingbrook, IL/Romeoville) averaged 13.5 points and Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) averaged 12 points and nine rebounds and had five blocked shots in the two wins.

S&T recorded 12 blocked shots in the two wins and connected on 14-of-36 (38.9 percent) in the those contests.

ABOUT MANHATTAN CHRISTIAN: The Thunder broke into the win column for the first time on Friday when they defeated Central Christian (Kan.) 78-74, but come into Tuesday's game with a 1-4 record.  Manhattan Christian, who will be playing Tuesday's game as an exhibition game, has three players averaging in double figures led by Dyelan Reed with an average of 14.4 points per outing.  Micah Lovett had 20 points in the MCC win and is scoring 13.8 points a game and Jamie Juncal is at 10.6 points a game.  Cody Mericle leads the Thunder with an average of 6.6 rebounds per contest.

ABOUT CENTRAL MISSOURI:  The Mules, under the direction of new head coach Adam Bohac, also opened its season with a pair of in-region wins as they won narrow decisions over Ouachita Baptist and Harding.   Central had good balance in the scoring column in the victories, as Jalen Knott averaged 13 points while Keith Kiner and Caleb Nero averaged 11.5 points apiece.

UCM outrebounded its two opponents by over five boards per game and held them to a 10-of-34 mark from three-point range, but made only 11-of-51 from beyond the arc itself and was successful on just 38.7 percent of its shots overall.