ROLLA, MO  --  Missouri S&T Men's Basketball is hosting two of the top teams in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) this weekend, with McKendree on Thursday and Illinois Springfield on Saturday. Thursday nights game will be Pickaxe Platoon Rewards night, with participating members able to receive a 2024-25 Men's Basketball GLVC Championship sticker.

About the Miners
S&T is 13-2 this season, 7-1 in conference and undefeated in the new year after a 5-game win streak. They rank #9 at the national level and are second in the conference behind Upper Iowa. The Miners are the top shooting team in the conference with a shooting percentage of 47.8% through the first eight conference games. Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette), who had a career-high 28 points against Missouri-St. Louis last week, leads the team in shooting percentage at 50%, ranking him 10th in the GLVC.

Blaise Beauchamp (Minnetonka, MN/Hopkins) has been solid from the three, ranking 12th in three point percentage against GLVC opponents with 38%. His 18.8 points per game against GLVC opponents also ranks 5th in the conference, while Young's 17.5 PPG ranks 9th. Young also ranks second in blocks per game (1.6) and 11th in rebounds per game (6.9).

About the Bearcats
McKendree is fourth in the conference standings with a 6-3 record against GLVC opponents and a 13-4 record overall. They have thrived on defense, holding GLVC opponents to 65.3 points per game and ranking sixth in NCAA Division II in scoring defense. The Bearcats offense may rank just ninth in the conference at 73 points per game, but they allow the lowest field goal percentage (37.1%) in the conference and pull down the third-most rebounds at 36.9 per game.

The Bearcats' leading scorer in GLVC competition is Cha'Vez Woods, who is averaging 17.3 points per game and ranks 10th in the conference. Noah Franklin has been another standout for McKendree averaging 14.3 points per game, 8.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 63.5%.

About the Prairie Stars
Illinois Springfield is 7-2 in conference and currently sits one spot behind the Miners in the GLVC standings. They had been undefeated in conference until a back-to-back losses against Truman State and Rockhurst marred their record. The Prairie Stars are the top three-point shooting team in the conference and 13th in Division II, shooting at 39.1%.

Jordan Rice leads Illinois Springfield in scoring, averaging 14.9 points per game. Rice also leads the team in assists per game with an average of 5.3 that is third-best in the GLVC. The Prairie Stars also boast two of the top five three point shooters in the conference in Britton Dutton (52.8%) and Isaiah Davis (43.9%). 

What's Next
The Miners will have their longest remaining road trip of the regular season next week, traveling to Lewis and Indianapolis.

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