Joel Sylven placed third individually and helped the 15th-ranked Tritons to a fourth-place showing at the Houston Classic, hosted by Southern Nazarene last week in Humble, Texas. (Photo by Patrick Clark/Athlete’s Eye Photography)
Men’s golf
The 15th-ranked University of Missouri–St. Louis men’s golf team opened its spring schedule by placing fourth in the Houston Classic, hosted by Southern Nazarene at the Golf Club of Houston last Monday and Tuesday in Humble, Texas. The Tritons posted a team score of 878 in the three-round tournament and finished 22 shots behind Cameron University of Oklahoma for the team title. Senior Joel Sylven led the way for UMSL with a third-place individual finish after compiling a 54-hole total of 6-under-par 210. He also made 12 birdies. Juan Antonio Padilla finished tied for 17th with a total of 221, and Leo Baudry also managed to end up in the top 25, placing 21st with a total of 222. The Tritons will be back on the course March 5 when it hosts the Las Vegas Desert Classic at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Las Vegas.
Men’s Basketball
The Tritons dropped their fourth straight game, shooting only 35.6% from the field last Thursday night in a 72-63 loss at Maryville. UMSL was outscored 49-35 in the second half after leading 28-23 at halftime. Victor Nwagbaraocha led four Tritons in double figures with 16 points, Isaiah Fuller added 15 but shot only 5 for 16 from the field, and Bowen Sandquist had 13 points. Drew Cisse had 10 points and 14 rebounds. UMSL struggled defensively in the second half, allowing the Saints to connect on 53.9% of their shots after they made only 29.6% in the first 20 minutes. The Tritons (18-8, 10-8 GLVC) still hold NCAA Tournament aspirations and were among 10 teams included in the initial Midwest Region rankings. They will look to get back on track as they wrap up the regular season with home games against No. 6 Indianapolis on Thursday and McKendree on Saturday. Thursday’s game is “Pack the Stands” night, and UMSL will be looking to snap the Greyhounds’ 18-game winning streak.
Women’s Basketball
UMSL’s rally from an 18-point second-half deficit came up a little short on Thursday in a 63-58 loss at Maryville. The Tritons outscored the Saints 20-11 in the fourth quarter and got as close as two points on three different occasions in the final four minutes, but Maryville held them off with a basket by Carsyn Fearday and a free throw from Antoinette Mussorici in the final 30 seconds. Senior Shania Liburd scored a season-best 16 points to lead the Tritons, who had three players in double figures. Olivia Mezan finished with 11 points, and Jalysa Stokes had 10 but shot 5 for 22 from the field. UMSL (9-15, 7-11) will wrap up its regular-season schedule when it plays host to Indianapolis on Thursday as part of “Pack the Stands” and welcomes McKendree on Saturday.
Softball
The Tritons opened their season by going 2-2 on the first two days of the Emporia State Classic, split between Topeka and Emporia, Kansas. UMSL lost its season opener against Newman 6-5 in nine inning Saturday before bouncing back with a 10-2 victory in five innings against Concordia-St. Paul. On Sunday, the Tritons lost 3-2 against Minnesota Duluth and but beat Sioux Falls 5-3. Senior shortstop Irene Travis had a team-high seven hits in the four games, and sophomore catcher Courtney Settles had five hits and drove in six runs. Pitcher Jenna Towle went 2-0 in three appearances for UMSL, and she posted a 2.63 earned run average. The Tritons (2-2) wrap up the Emporia State Classic with games against Concordia-St. Paul and Emporia State on Monday and will be back in Kansas next weekend for six games in the Washburn Invitational.
Baseball
UMSL got swept in a four-game series against Rogers State over the weekend in Claremore, Oklahoma. The Tritons dropped the opener 10-2 on Friday, lost 7-2 and 8-3 in a doubleheader on Saturday and fell 6-5 in the series finale on Sunday. Shortstop Leighton Keller and third baseman Justin Simard each drove in four runs in the series, and catcher Bryce Kulinski homered in Sunday’s game. UMSL (2-6) will open their home schedule next weekend as they welcome Minnesota Crooskston for a four-game series beginning on Friday afternoon.
