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SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Playing their first game in 15 days and limited to just eight available players, the Drury Panthers managed an 82-76 win over Missouri S&T at the O’Reilly Family Event Center on Saturday.
Victor Nwagbarachoa led Drury with 22 points and the senior from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, blocked six shots, including two in the game’s final minutes that helped seal the win.
Nwagabaracha’s basket and free throw on a play with 1:31 remaining gave Drury a 77-70 lead, but the Miners got back within three on a four-point play moments later. Julien Smith scored on a baseline jumper, and Miners forward Alex Strating was fouled during the shot. Strating’s free throws got Missouri S&T within a possession of the lead, but Drury held off the Miners in the closing seconds.
Drury owned a 13-point lead late in the first half, but Missouri S&T cut the margin to eight at halftime, 39-31, then erased the Panthers lead completely, evening the game at 39-39 in the opening minutes of the second half. Drury reestablished an eight-point lead midway through the half, only to the S&T rally to take a 55-53 lead with 8:34 remaining.
The Panthers answered with a 7-2 run and never trailed again.
“I thought we played a pretty good first half, and then they came back at tied it,” said Drury head coach Chris Foster. “There were a couple of plays that we had to overcome. There was the four-point play late, and Julien Smith hit some tough shots when I thought we guarded him well.
“But I’m proud of our guys…hopefully, this reinforces what we have been talking about all along, and that is that the game rewards you for working hard. One of the reasons why our guys played well was because they stayed ready (through the COVID shutdown).”
Dillon Carlson added 14 points for Drury and was 4 for 6 from the field. Obi Okafor contributed 13 points and nine rebounds, while Myles Samuels had nine points and seven assists.
Smith, the scoring leader in the GLVC, had a game-high 24 points for Missouri S&T.
Saturday’s game was Drury’s first since Jan. 15 after issues with COVID-19 on the Panthers roster have led to the postponement or cancelation of six of their nine games since Jan. 2. It also marked Drury’s first home game since Dec. 18.
The Panthers improved to 5-9 and 2-4 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Miners dropped to 9-10, 5-7 in the league, and the loss snapped their three-game winning streak.
Drury returns to action on Monday when they travel to Southwest Baptist for a 6 pm game in Bolivar. The game was originally scheduled for Jan. 4 but was postponed due to COVID-19 issues on the Drury roster.
