LAS VEGAS, NV -- Missouri S&T men's basketball picked up their eighth win of the season on Friday night, defeating Simon Fraser 71-68 in their first game of the Great Western Shootout.
Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) led the Miners with 24 points, with 15 of those coming in the second half.
Simon Fraser is one of the best three point shooting teams in the country and started the game off hot, hitting a pair of three-pointers in the first few minutes.
Cameron Stovall (St. Louis, MO/Vashon) scored seven points in the first 1:47 to help the Miners hang in with the Red Leafs' early success from beyond the arc.
A handful of turnovers would slow the scoring for several minutes before a triple from
Blaise Beauchamp (Minnetonka, MN/Hopkins) helped spark a 13-0 run for S&T, making it a 28-14 game with 4:26 remaining in the first. Three-pointers from SFU's Zach Stone and Tate Christiansen spurred a 7-0 run for the Red Leafs at the end of the half, sending the game into the half with S&T ahead 35-26.
Another three from Stone to start the second half cut the Miners' lead to just six, until triples from Beauchamp and Young rebuilt the cushion to 14 points. The Red Leafs continued to hit from long range though, knocking down another trio of three points to cut the Miners lead to 47-45. However, stout defense from the Miners and buckets from Stovall and
Adam Rickman (Washington, MO/St. Francis Borgia) allowed S&T to regain control with an 8 point lead.
Simon Fraser pushed the Miners down the stretch, never allowing them to lead by more than eight points. S&T's lead would be cut to three or fewer on three separate occasions in the final minutes. Young would hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds to extend the Miners' lead to three, leading to a turnover by the Red Leafs at the end of the game to seal S&T's win.
Young's 24 points are his second-most in a game this season, behind his 26-point performance against Upper Iowa. The senior forward shot 8-of-15 while also picking up 5 rebounds and 2 blocks. S&T only committed 8 turnovers during the game, a season-low against Division II opponents. The team was outrebounded for just the second time this season, picking up 37 boards to Simon Fraser's 39.
What's Next
S&T faces host Western Washington on Saturday in game two of the Great Western Shootout.
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