ROLLA, Mo. – Missouri S&T overcame UIndy's late rally to take the lead with less than a minute left, but a last second basket by Jada Haines gave the Greyhounds a 71-70 win over the Miners on Thursday night in Gibson Arena.
The Miners started the first quarter well, going up 9-2 in the opening minutes, fueled by
Katelynne Roberts' (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) six points in that stretch. But after starting the quarter shooting 1-8, UIndy's offense found some rhythm (going 7-11 for the remainder of the first) and never allowed Missouri S&T to lead by more than seven for the rest of the quarter. The Miners offense remained in stride though and maintained a five point lead at the end of the first.
Franchesca Metz (Downers Grove, IL/Nazareth Academy) started the second quarter off strong by hitting a three, pushing the Miners' lead to eight while also reaching her 1,000 career point much to the elation of the home crowd. Metz did not stop there though, as she went on to lead the Miners in scoring in the second quarter, helping extend their lead to thirteen with 3:33 left in the second. While the Miners went 0-4 from the field with two turnovers in the final minutes of the third, they still managed to maintain a 41-33 lead over the Greyhounds at halftime.
Coming out of the break, the Miners season-leading scorer, Roberts, hit a pair of free throws to make tonight's game her 21st in a row scoring double digits. The teams exchanged buckets over the next few minutes, with UIndy cutting the Miners' lead to seven at 4:33 in the third. The Miners answered back with a 7-0 run in less than two minutes, during which Roberts had five points and two rebounds. Down fourteen with the final quarter nearing, the Greyhounds managed to hit a last-second shot to cut their deficit to twelve in the final seconds of the third quarter.
Just like the first three periods, the Miners started the quarter well, going on a 5-0 scoring run to extend their lead to seventeen with just 7:46 left in the game. The home team went cold for the next three minutes while the Greyhounds found their offensive stride, going on a fast-paced 13-0 run to make it a four point game with less than five minutes remaining. The Greyhounds had been double-teaming Roberts most of the game, but she was able to draw a foul and hit two free throws to end the visitor's scoring run with 4:15 left. Momentum remained on UIndy's side though as they continued to hit shots down the stretch, eventually tying the game at 68-68 just outside of two minutes left in the game. After drawing a shooting foul and going one for two at the line, UIndy took their first lead of the game with less than a minute and a half left. Roberts reclaimed the lead for the Miners with a layup in the paint with 0:41 left on the clock. The Miners had their chances to close it out on UIndy's final possession, as their opponents missed their first three shots. But offensive rebounds kept the Greyhounds alive, leading to Jada Haines making a layup off an offensive rebound with 0.5 seconds left, ultimately leading to a 70-71 victory for the visitors.
The Miners look to get back in the win column on Saturday when they host Lewis at Gibson Arena at 1 pm this Saturday.
