TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Missouri S&T started their 2024-25 campaign off well today, defeating the Ohio Dominican Panthers 91-77. The Miners outscored the Panthers 44-29 in the second half, with
Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, IL/Huntley) accounting for 18 second-half points.
Neither team lead by more than three points in the opening 10 minutes of play, with
Lovell Williams (Rogers, MN/Maple Grove) scoring 9 points in the first seven minutes. Down 25-22 with 11:13 left in the first, the Miners went on a 19-7 scoring run to take their largest lead of the half at 41-32. The Panthers quickly closed that gap with a pair of three-pointers in under 30 seconds, eventually tying the game at 41-41 before closing out the half with a 48-47 lead over the Miners.
S&T took a small lead in the opening minute of the second half off a jumper and a layup by Sroka. The Panthers would tie it at 51-51 before taking their last lead of the day at 53-51. A dunk by
Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) and a three by Sroka put the Miners in front again, this time for good as S&T would not relinquish the lead for the remainder of the game.
The Miners would pull ahead by as many as eight before a six-point Panter scoring run brought it back to a one possession game. S&T would go on a 9-2 scoring run in the next two minutes to take a 74-65 lead. Sroka would score 11 points in a row for the Miners in the final 7 minutes of the game, helping S&T pull away to a 91-77 victory.
Young and Sroka tied for a team-high in scoring with 22 apiece. Young also led the team in rebounds with 10 to earn him a double-double. The team shot 54.7% from the field, including 41.7% from the three. S&T also benefited from their freshman, who combined for 17 points and were led by
Aidan Burns (Thayer, MO/Thayer) who went 3-5 from the three-point line.
What's Next
The Miners will be in Rolla for their home opener on Tuesday, November 19th when Hannibal-LaGrange visits. The game will be the first in a six-game homestand for S&T that will go through December 16th.
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