ROLLA, Mo. – #5 Missouri S&T Men's Basketball took down Lewis 76-74 to maintain first place in the GLVC.
Lewis had everything working in the first half as they led 40-32 at the break. Rob Stroud recorded 16 of the first 20 points for Lewis as they led 20-13 with 13:38 left in the half. An S&T 10-0 run catapulted them to a 23-20 lead midway through the half.
The Flyers took the lead back at 29-27 with 5:33 left in the half. They went out to a nine-point lead until
Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) cut it to six with just over two minutes remaining. Stroud hit two free throws to end the half as they led 40-32 after 20 minutes.
Missouri S&T flipped the script in the second half as they outscored Lewis 44-34 to win 76-74. A 6-0 run early in the half made it a four-point game until Lewis went out to a 48-40 lead with 14:47 left. A 17-5 run for the Miners gave them a 57-53 lead with 11:11 remaining in the game.
The Flyers cut it down to one multiple times, but S&T eventually took a 68-60 lead with two three-pointers from
Ryan Sroka (Lake in the Hills, IL/Huntley). Stroud guided the Flyers to just a one-point deficit with 15 seconds left following a three-point shot made. Sroka hit a free throw and Stroud missed a game-winning three-pointer at the end of the game to give S&T their 17
th win of the season.
Williams guided S&T with 17 points, five assists, three rebounds and two steals. Sroka picked up 13 points with four rebounds, while
Alex Benassi (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit) had 12 points. Young led the Miners on the glass with seven rebounds while also adding 11 points and two blocks.
As a team, S&T shot 50.9% from the field and 8-for-15 from beyond the arc. They picked up 34 points in the paint and 23 points off turnovers. For Lewis, they only had two points off turnovers.
The Miners remained in first place in the GLVC following the win. Every other team in the conference has at least four GLVC losses, while the Miners remain 11-0 and 17-1 overall. It marks their 10
th straight win and 14
th consecutive home win. It is the first 11-0 start by a GLVC team since 2010-11 where Bellarmine started 17-0. That Bellarmine team won the national championship that season.
What's Next
Missouri S&T is back in action on Saturday afternoon to play Indianapolis at 3 p.m. Following that game, they will go back on the road on Feb. 6-8 to play Quincy and Upper Iowa.
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