Amaya Blake scored a season-best 20 points to help lead the women’s basketball team to an 80-61 road victory over Truman State, giving the Tritons a split from last week’s road trip. (Photo by Patrick Clark/Athlete’s Eye Photography)
Women’s Basketball
The University of Missouri–St. Louis went 1-1 on last weekend’s road trip to Upper Iowa and Truman State, falling to Peacocks 62-56 on Thursday night before blitzing the Bulldogs 80-61 on Saturday afternoon. Tori Standefer‘s 3-pointer ignited a 14-2 second-quarter run that helped the Tritons gain the upper hand against Truman State in Kirksville, Missouri. They pulled away in a third quarter that saw them outscore the Bulldogs 22-11. Amaya Blake led the way with a season-high 20 points on 9-for-14 shooting and added six assists. Alex Wolff had 14 points, and UMSL got 11 each from Aubrey Martinez-Stewart, Morgan Ramthun and Emerson Weller in their highest scoring game since an 89-37 victory over Principia on Nov. 20. The Tritons found it harder to find their range against Upper Iowa two nights earlier. UMSL shot 35.9% from the field and went 0 for 13 from 3-point range in the loss to the Peacocks. Mara Rieder scored a team-high 18 points off the bench, and Martinez-Stewart recorded her first double-double of the season with 13 points and a career-best 15 rebounds. The Tritons (9-12, 7-8 Great Lakes Valley Conference) return home to play Illinois Springfield on Thursday and Quincy on Saturday.
Men’s Basketball
UMSL has lost three in a row and six of its last seven after losing back-to-back road games against Upper Iowa and Truman State last weekend. The Tritons fell to the Peacocks 81-68 on Thursday night in Fayette, Iowa, before stumbling 73-60 on Saturday against the Bulldogs. Matt Enright led four UMSL players in double figures with 18 points against Upper Iowa, Mayson Quartlebaum added 13 and Savon Wykle and Emanuel Prospere II had 10 each, but the Tritons struggled defensively, particularly on the perimeter as the Peacocks sank 8 of 19 3-pointers and shot 50.8% from the field. Quartlebaum had 20 points, Enright added 15 and Prospere 10 against Truman State, but the defensive troubles continued. The Bulldogs shot 53.1% from the field and made 14 of 25 3-pointers to avenge their Jan. 6 loss at the Mark Twain Athletic Center. UMSL (8-13, 6-7 GLVC) will look to turn around its fortunes when it returns home this week to play Illinois Springfield and Quincy on Saturday.
Men’s and Women’s Track and Field
The Tritons had athletes competing in both the Washburn Open in Topeka, Kansas, and the Keck Select in Bloomington, Illinois, over the weekend, combining for 10 top-20 finishes in the two meets. Benjamin VandenBrink and Jacob Warner finished fifth and 10th in the 3,000 meters, respectively, at Washburn with VandenBrink recording a time of 8 minutes, 36.48 seconds, and Warner running in 8:41.38. Jonny Key was 10th in the mile with a time of 4:21.09, and Caleb Leach placed 13th in 4:22.31. At the Keck Select, hosted by Illinois Wesleyan, Sebastian Meyer placed 16th in the mile, and Elijah DeBose was 20th in the long jump. Melissa White was the top UMSL women’s finisher at the Keck Select, placing 12th in the triple jump with a mark of 30 feet, 8 1/2 inches. Megan McMillen and Peyton Brueck were 17th and 18th, respectively, in the 3,000 meters, and Dominica Rooks finished 19th in the 400 meters. The Tritons will be represented in both the Pittsburg State Gorilla Indoor Classic next Friday and Saturday in Pittsburg, Kansas, and in Illinois Wesleyan’s Titan Open next Saturday in Bloomington, Illinois.
Baseball
UMSL opened its season by dropping three of four against West Alabama in a weekend series in Livingston, Alabama. The Tritons dropped Friday’s opener 9-8 before winning the second game of a doubleheader 5-4 but were swept in Saturday’s doubleheader by scores of 5-4 and 7-2. Logan McIntyre had a team-high seven hits, including a pair of doubles, and also drove in three runs in the series. Braedon Stoakes also had three RBI with a double, a triple and a home run among his first hits on the weekend. His seventh-inning home run snapped a 4-4 tie and proved decisive in Friday’s UMSL victory. Junior Jacob Arndt picked up the win in relief after starter R.J. Elmore held the West Alabama to two earned runs on five hits with five strikeouts in five innings. The Tritons (1-3) next play Kentucky Wesleyan in a four-game road series beginning Feb. 16.
Women’s Tennis
The Tritons opened their spring schedule with back-to-back road losses against ranked opponents, falling to No. 15 Washburn 6-1 on Saturday in Topeka, Kanasas, and No. 17 Northwest Missouri State 5-1 on Sunday in St. Joseph, Missouri. Aleksandra Lopez secured the lone point for UMSL in Saturday’s dual when she won the No. 3 singles match 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 over Lara Schmid, and Anna Domingo had the Tritons’ only match win against the Bearcats, taking the No. 1 singles match 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7) over Carolina DeOliveira. UMSL is idle into playing host to Purdue Northwest on Feb. 25.
Men’s Tennis
UMSL had a tough start to the spring schedule, losing to No. 15 Washburn and No. 20 Northwest Missouri State in back-to-back dual meets on the road over the weekend. The Tritons fell to the Ichabods 7-0 on Saturday before losing to the Bearcats 4-2 on Sunday. Juan Vigil and Joshua Mackey picked up UMSL’s lone singles victories with each winning match tiebreakers against Northwest Missouri State. Vigil won the No. 2 singles match 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-5) over Mason Meier, and Mackey won the No. 4 singles match 6-1, 2-6, 1-0 (13-11) against Rafal Bednarczuk. The Tritons next play at Illinois State on Feb. 24.
