ROLLA, Mo. – The Truman State men's basketball team fought back from a double-digit deficit but fell short against Missouri S&T 83-75 Saturday afternoon at Bullman Multi-Purpose Building. The Bulldogs drop to 5-8 overall and 2-3 in GLVC play, while the Miners improve to 10-2 (4-1 GLVC).
Missouri S&T came out firing, building a 10-0 lead in the opening minutes as Truman struggled to find offensive rhythm. The Miners dominated the paint early, with Zac Brown scoring on consecutive possessions including a tip-in dunk. The Bulldogs finally got on the board with a Marquis Carver-Smith layup at the 13:31 mark, but S&T continued to control the tempo.
The first half belonged to the Miners as they shot 53.3% from the field and built their lead to as many as 10 points. Blaise Beauchamp and Andrew Young led the S&T attack, combining for 19 first-half points. Truman received quality production from its bench, with Troy Anderson hitting a three-pointer and Brennan Lovette contributing in the paint, but the Bulldogs trailed 43-33 at halftime.
The Bulldogs emerged from halftime with renewed energy and a commitment to attacking the basket. Anderson drained a three-pointer just 11 seconds into the second half, and Quientan McCafferty went to work in the paint. McCafferty scored five consecutive points, including a three-point play, to cut the deficit to 45-41 with 18:26 remaining.
Truman continued to chip away at the lead. Drew Kingery converted a layup off a Byrd assist to pull the Bulldogs within two at 45-43 with 17:59 left. After S&T pushed the lead back to five, Anderson hit another second-chance layup to make it 47-45 with 16:49 remaining, capping a 7-2 Truman run that energized the visitors.
The game remained competitive throughout the second half as the Bulldogs refused to go away. Kingery knocked down a three-pointer to cut the lead to 51-48 with 14:45 left, and after S&T extended their advantage to 66-55 with 9:46 remaining, Julian Brown sparked a mini-run with back-to-back three-pointers to pull Truman within five at 66-61 with 7:45 to play.
The Bulldogs continued to battle, with Emmanuel Byrd scoring on consecutive possessions in the paint to cut the deficit to 70-68 with 3:34 remaining. However, S&T's Beauchamp answered with a clutch three-pointer to extend the lead to 73-68 with 3:22 left. Carver-Smith responded with a three-pointer of his own to make it 73-71 with 2:58 remaining, setting up a tense finish.
The final minutes saw Missouri S&T execute at the free-throw line while Truman couldn't get the necessary stops. The Miners converted their free throws down the stretch to secure the victory. Byrd added a tip-in at the buzzer, but it was too little too late as the Miners held on for the eight-point victory.
Team Statistics Comparison
| Category |
Truman State |
Missouri S&T |
| Field Goals |
27-59 (45.8%) |
25-62 (40.3%) |
| 3-Point FG |
8-25 (32.0%) |
6-19 (31.6%) |
| Free Throws |
13-17 (76.5%) |
27-32 (84.4%) |
| Rebounds |
34 |
37 |
| Assists |
14 |
10 |
| Turnovers |
20 |
14 |
| Steals |
6 |
14 |
| Blocks |
2 |
2 |
| Points in Paint |
34 |
30 |
| Fast Break Points |
4 |
13 |
| Bench Points |
26 |
18 |
| Points Off Turnovers |
15 |
23 |
Truman State Statistical Leaders
Scoring:
Rebounds:
Assists:
Steals:
Blocks:
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will play on Thursday against the McKendree Bearcats at 7:30 PM. The Bulldogs won last year's matchup in a tight 77-73 victory on the road.
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