LAS VEGAS, NV  --  Missouri S&T men's basketball is in Las Vegas this week for the Great Western Shootout. The Miners will begin the Shootout with a game against Simon Fraser on Friday before taking on host Western Washington.

About the Miners
The Miners head to Vegas with a 7-1 record and are ranked 10th in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Poll. They defeated Northwest Missouri State 80-54 on Saturday, outshooting the Bearcats 47.1% to 29.7%. S&T leads the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) in scoring margin and shooting percentage, with a 19.1 margin and 48.8 percentage.

Blaise Beauchamp (Minnetonka, MN/Hopkins) is 6th in the nation for assist-to-turnover margin, recording 25 assists to just 7 turnovers this year. He led the Miners in scoring against Northwest Missouri, putting up 16 points. Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) leads S&T in scoring, averaging 15.0 points per game. Alex Benassi (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit), Cameron Stovall (St. Louis, MO/Vashon), and Beauchamp are all averaging double digit points per game too, while Stovall's 62 rebounds leads the team and ranks 5th in the GLVC.

About the Red Leafs
The Red Leafs are 4-6 this season and have won three of their last four. Their most recent game was on December 6th against Northwest Nazarene, a game that ended in a 84-73 loss for SFU. Simon Fraser is one of the best three-point shooting teams in Division, ranking 10th with a 40.5% from beyond the arc this season.

Mikyle Malabuyoc leads the Red Leafs in scoring this year with 14.3 points per game. The junior guard is shooting 53.7% and a team-high 52.8% from the three. Malabuyoc also ranks 23rd in Division II for assists per game with 5.3. Roko Maric has provided a spark off the bench this year, leading the team in blocks with 12 and averaging 4.4 rebounds per game.

About the Vikings
The Vikings hold a 5-6 record this season, most recently picking up victories over Central Washington and Langara. Their 97-95 victory over CWU broke a four game losing skid for Western Washington after suffering losses to Chaminade, Hawai'i Pacific, Colorado at Colorado Springs, and Northwest Nazarene. The Vikings are one of the best rebounding teams in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, averaging 38.5 rebounds per game with a 5.7 rebounding margin.

Aidan Rice is WWU's leading scorer this season, averaging 19.5 points per game. He is 14th in Division II for three-point percentage, hitting at 48.5%. Nehemiah Pollard is the team's leading rebounder, averaging 6.0 per game while also ranking 4th in the conference for shooting percentage (52.3%).

What's Next
The Miners will enjoy a Christmas break before returning to Gibson Arena on January 2nd with a game against William Jewell.

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