ST. LOUIS, MO -- Missouri S&T Men's Basketball almost overcame a 14-point second half deficit on Friday, but ultimately fell to No. 4 seed Indianapolis 75-67.
The Miners got off to a slow start at the Mark Twain building, scoring just eight points in the first ten and a half minutes and falling behind 19-8 after the Greyhounds knocked down five triples. A three from
Andrew Young (Ballwin, MO/Marquette) and a layup by
Cameron Stovall (St. Louis, MO/Vashon) would make it a six-point game with 5:28 left in the first, but back-to-back threes by UIndy increased their lead to twelve.
At 3:11, Young blocked Kelvin Amoako then sprinted to the other end to catch a pass from
Alex Benassi (Lee's Summit, MO/Lee's Summit) and lay it in for the fastbreak bucket. A pair of jumpers and another three from Young helped the Miners get the deficit back to single digits, sending the game into halftime with the Greyhounds ahead 35-28.
UIndy started the second half on an 8-1 scoring run, returning their lead to double digits and putting them ahead 43-30.
Blaise Beauchamp (Minnetonka, MN/Hopkins) ended the run with a three-pointer, then Benassi hit a three of his own later as the Miners cut into UIndy's lead again to make it 51-43.
The Greyhounds scored eight unanswered points in just over a minute midway through the second half, giving them a game-high lead of fourteen with 8:03 remaining. However, two triples from
Darron Henry (Long Beach, CA/Long Beach Poly) started a 9-1 run for the Miners that made it a six-point game with 5:13 left to play
The Miners were able to draw fouls and get to the free throw line throughout the game, with Beauchamp converting two at the charity stripe before Young knocked down his fourth three to make it a two-point game at 67-65. S&T was unable to connect on their last four shots from long range though, while the Greyhounds converted key free throws late close out the game at 75-67.
Young led the Miners with 24 points, adding 10 rebounds for his sixth double double of the season. He went 7-of-13 from the field and made a career-high four from the three, also going a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. Stovall and Henry both scored in double digits as well, putting up 16 and 10, respectively. Benassi recorded a solid stat line, with 6 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists.
S&T controlled the boards, out-rebounding the Greyhounds 44-37. They tied their season-high for offensive rebounds, picking up 15.
What's Next
The Miners will await the results of Midwest Region conference tournament in hopes of getting an at-large bid to the NCAA Regional.
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