KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Miners outscored the Hawks in the second half, but it was not enough to recover from a rough first half in tonight's 55-80 loss to Rockhurst. The Miners now drop to 8-21 on the season heading into their last regular season game at William Jewell this weekend.
1st Quarter:
The Miners scored first, giving them a lead which they would hold for just over half of the quarter. They trailed for the first time all game when Rockhurst scored three of an "and one" layup, leaving the Miners down 7-8.
Morgan Luebbering's (Jefferson Ciy, MO/Fatima) first points of the game came 20 seconds later off a jumper that reclaimed the lead for the Miners at 9-8. The Hawks would pile on the points in the next two minutes, going on an 11-2 run and going up 19-10 on the Miners. S&T would outscore the Hawks in the closing minutes of the quarter but would still trail 14-22.
2nd Quarter:
The Miners found success penetrating the paint early, drawing fouls and hitting free throws. Despite the success in the paint, the Miners trailed 17-26 two minutes into the quarter. Five turnovers in the next four minutes would hurt the Miners, allowing Rockhurst to go on a 12-0 run.
Morgan Luebbering (Jefferson Ciy, MO/Fatima) would close out the first half with 13 points, but the Miners would fall further behind, 23-49, heading into the half.
3rd Quarter:
S&T opened the quarter on a 5-2 run to cut into Rockhurst's lead. Later, an 11-1 run by the Hawks would further the home team's lead to thirty-three points with two minutes remaining in the third. The Miners finished the third with a 6-2 run, making it 37-66 heading into the fourth.
4th Quarter:
The Miners would continue their run from the previous quarter, extending it to a 12-4 run. They continued putting up points with buckets from
Eryn Puett (Columbia, MO/Rock Bridge) and
Katelynne Roberts (Edwardsville, IL/Edwardsville), but Rockhurst did not slow down either, extending their lead to 28 with under five minutes left. The Miners would lock down defensively for the next several minutes, holding the Hawks scoreless for over three and a half minutes. Despite the scoring drought for Rockhurst, they maintained their lead, resulting in the Miners trailing 52-80 with less than thirty seconds on the clock. With eight seconds left,
Tessa McMahon (Chatfield, MN/Chatfield) hit her first bucket as a Miner, making the final score 55-80.
Morgan Luebbering (Jefferson Ciy, MO/Fatima) contributed 13 points off the bench, leading the Miners in scoring for the first time this season. Other highlighters for the Miners included Roberts, who had 12 points, and
Chorus Davis (Kansas City, MO/Lincoln College Prep), who came close to a double-double with 9 points and 9 rebounds.
Missouri S&T will close out their regular season with a game at William Jewell this Saturday at noon.
