ROLLA, Mo. -- The Miners closed out their three-game homestand on a high note last night, tying the program record for most points in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game in the 65-24 victory over Southwest Baptist.
1st Quarter:
The Miners got a takeaway in the opening possession of the game, with SBU's Drew Boxwell getting picked off by
Paulvin Horton (Raleigh, NC/Garner HS). The interception set up an eight-yard rushing touchdown for Niboh on a drive that saw
Tyler Gioia (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) go 6-for-7 and 45 yards.
Two drives later, a fumble by Gioia would set up a 45-yard passing touchdown for the Bearcats as they tied the game at 7-7.
2nd Quarter:
After a handful of empty drives, the Miners drove down the field and scored a touchdown on a 23-yard connection from Gioia to Burns in the middle of the endzone. The Miners would quickly add another touchdown four plays later on a 79-yard punt return touchdown by Niboh. The Bearcats would claim the final points of the game with a field goal in the closing minute of the quarter to make it 21-10 at the half.
3rd Quarter:
The Miners came out quick in the start of the second half, getting a 37-yard kickoff return by Niboh followed immediately by a 50-yard catch and run touchdown for
CJ Wiggins (Yuma, AZ/Gila Ridge) before scoring again less than four minutes later on a 9-yard carry by
AJ Harris (Wentzville, MO/Lutheran-St. Charles).
The Bearcats would cut into the Miners lead in the ensuing minutes though, scoring on a 80-yard passing touchdown and on a 1-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 35-24 game.
The Miners quickly extended their lead though, scoring three touchdowns in the final six minutes of the quarter off of big plays from Wiggins and Niboh, who had 50-yard and 86-yard receiving touchdowns, respectively, as well as a rushing touchdown by Harris to pull ahead 55-24.
4th Quarter:
Up by 31, the Miners sat many of the offensive starter for the remainder of the game, with
Austin Havens (Bixby, OK/Bixby) taking over at quarterback. The team went run-heavy in the final quarter burn the clock, but still managed to add an additional 10 points as well to make the final score 65-24.
Tyler Gioia (Huntington Beach, CA/Edison) set a new career-high for all-purpose yards, passing yards, and touchdowns in the game, leading the Miner offense to 548 yards against a defense that was ranked #1 in overall and passing yards allowed entering the game. Additionally, Gioia's 385 all-purpose yards is the most in the GLVC this season.
Gioia was not the only one with a career-best night, as
Gideon Niboh (St. Charles, MO/Francis Howell) set a new personal record for all-purpose yards in a game with 257 and broke the school record for punt return touchdowns and all return touchdowns. Niboh is also the first Miner in school history to score touchdowns of a rush, reception, and a return in the same game.
Wiggins led the team in receiving yards, with 137 and two touchdowns thanks to his pair of 50-yard receiving TDs. Defensively,
Cameron Sturgell (Lamar, MO/Lamar) led the defense in a couple of categories with 11 tackles, a fumble recovery, a pass break up, and a tackle for loss.
What's Next:
The Miners travel to Kirksville to face the Truman State Bulldogs on Saturday at 6pm.
