Wonder Boys Hit the Road on New Year’s Eve

Arkansas Tech University and Missouri University of Science and Technology will face each other on New Year’s Eve for a second consecutive year when they meet in non-conference men’s basketball action at Rolla, Mo., on Sunday.

It will mark just the third time the Wonder Boys have paid the Miners a visit. Arkansas Tech’s most recent trip to Missouri S&T resulted in a 57-55 Wonder Boys’ victory on Dec. 5, 1997.

ATU Wonder Boys (8-1) vs. Missouri S&T Miners (2-7)
When: Sunday, Dec. 31, 2 p.m.

Where: Gabe Bullman Multi-Purpose Building, Rolla, Mo.  
Radio/Internet: KCJC 102.3 FM/www.arkansastechsports.com
Series: ATU leads 3-2

About the Wonder Boys: Arkansas Tech defeated Missouri S&T 91-88 when they met on the final day of 2016. Alex Brown scored a career-high 40 points in the win. He became the 15th Arkansas Tech men’s basketball player to score 40 or more points in a game, and the first to reach that plateau since Denarryl Rice had 40 points against Lincoln University on Nov. 25, 2005. This season, Brown has become a force on the glass with an 8.2 rebounds per game average, second-highest in the Great American Conference. The Wonder Boys have been idle since a 100-88 win at Northeastern State University on Dec. 19. It was Tech’s sixth consecutive win, and it marked the fourth time in the last 20 years that the Wonder Boys have scored 100 or more points in a road game.

About the Miners: Missouri S&T is a member of NCAA Division II and the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Its final game before the holiday break was a 96-87 loss to Harris-Stowe State University on Dec. 18. Freshman guards Chris Harris (15 points per game) and Allante Pickens (12.5 points per game) along with junior forwards Sebastian Ferenc (12.5 points per game) and Romain Louiserre (12.1 points per game) are the Miners’ leading scorers. Missouri S&T has not had a winning men’s basketball season since 1996-97.