Senior center Kiara Stewart led the women’s basketball team to victories at Illinois Springfield and Indianapolis, extending the Tritons’ winning streak to 10 games.
Women’s Basketball
UMSL ran its winning streak to 10 games with road victories at Illinois Springfield – 65-51 on Saturday – and Indianapolis – 51-41 on Monday – after its scheduled game at Lewis was postponed on Thursday because of COVID protocols impacting the Flyers program. The Tritons haven’t lost since their season-opener at Grand Valley State and improved to 6-0 against Great Lakes Valley Conference competition. Senior center Kiara Stewart scored 20 points to lead four players in double figures against Illinois Springfield and added nine rebounds. Stewart and senior guard Danielle Berry had 10 points to pace UMSL against Indianapolis, but the defense propelled the Tritons to victory by holding the Greyhounds to 37.8 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers. UMSL (10-1) will be back at the Mark Twain Athletic Center this week, hosting Truman State on Thursday and Quincy on Saturday.
Men’s Basketball
The Tritons suffered their second loss of the conference season on Saturday at Illinois Springfield, getting outscored by 14 points in a 68-64 defeat, but they bounced back Monday on the road at Indianapolis, pulling out a 63-55 victory that snapped the Greyhounds’ six-game winning streak. A scheduled game at Lewis on Thursday was postponed because of COVID protocols impacting the Flyers. Senior forward Marty Jackson had a team-high 19 points, and redshirt sophomore guard Trever Moore added 12 off the bench in Monday’s victory. Jackson, Yaakema Rose Jr., Isaiah Fuller and Jose Grubbs all finished in double figures in Saturday’s loss, but the perimeter defense struggled as Illinois Springfield made 9 3-pointers and shot 56.2 percent from beyond the arc in the second half. UMSL (11-3, 5-2 GLVC) will look to avenge its first conference loss when it takes on Truman State at home on Thursday before playing host to Quincy on Saturday.
Men’s and Women’s Swimming
Both the men’s and women’s teams dropped their head-to-head meets against nationally ranked NCAA Division III teams from Washington University in St. Louis. The Triton men fell to the seventh-ranked Bears 144-61 while the women’s lost 168-62 against a WashU team ranked 12th nationally. There were some strong individual performances with Rebecca Bechtel winning the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 11 minutes, 3.66 seconds, Jon Osa taking first place in the 100 freestyle in 47.34 seconds and Guillem Masjuan Roca winning the 100 backstroke in 51.60 seconds. The UMSL men’s and women’s teams each took first place in the 200 freestyle relay. The Tritons return to the pool on Friday at McKendree and will face Division I Saint Louis University Saturday on Senior Day at the Mark Twain Athletic Center.
