ROLLA, Mo. – A strong third quarter for S&T erased a ten-point halftime deficit, but the Miners were unable to complete the comeback, losing 67-72 to the Bearcats.
1st Quarter:
After the Bearcats opened the game with a 9-1 run, the Miners got their first bucket of the game off a three from
Addyson Kent (North Vernon, IN/Jennings County) which started a 9-2 for S&T. The Bearcats would stretch their lead to six at 18-12 with two and a half left in the first. The Miners closed out the quarter strong though, going on a seven-point run to take a 19-18 lead before the second.
2nd Quarter:
Both defenses highlighted the first three minutes of the quarter, as only one bucket was scored during that period. The Bearcats built a five-point lead halfway through the quarter, before another three from Kent cut the deficit down to two. SBU would close out the half on a 9-2 run to go ahead 37-27 at the half.
3rd Quarter:
Baskets by
Katelynne Roberts (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville) and
Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) would bring the Miners within six of the Bearcats before the visitors hit a pair of jumpers to pull ahead by ten again. The next five minutes were S&T's most dominant of the game as they went on a 14-2 run.
Chorus Davis (Kansas City, MO/Lincoln College Prep) and
Norah Gum (Waterloo, IL/Waterloo) accounted for eight and seven points in the third, respectively, as the Miners closed out the quarter tied 49-49 with the Bearcats.
4th Quarter:
The teams traded leads in the opening minutes of the quarter before Southwest Baptist pulled ahead by five. Four points from Puett made the score 56-57 with just under six minutes to play as the Miners shut SBU's offense down for two minutes. The Miners would gain a 61-59 lead off a three by Kent with 4:34 left in the game. Two costly fouls by the Miners gave SBU four points at the line as they fell behind 61-66. An and-one layup by Gum with 36 seconds left cut the Bearcats' lead to one. The Miners would have a couple of opportunities for desperation threes to close the gap, but they were unable to get anything to fall as they lost 67-72.
Davis led the team in scoring today with 15 points. Kent went 3-12 from the three-point line, now needing just six more to break S&T's record for three-pointers in a season.
The Miners travel to Kansas City and Davis, MO for their final two games of the regular season against Rockhurst and William Jewell.
