The UMSL women’s basketball team’s season ended Saturday with a loss to Northwood in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament. The Tritons finished with a school-record 25 victories, won their first Great Lakes Valley Conference regular-season title and earned their first-ever NCAA Tournament win when they upset Ferris State in Friday’s opening game. (Photo by Patrick Clark/Athlete’s Eye Photography)
Women’s Basketball
The University of Missouri–St. Louis women’s basketball team’s historic season ended Saturday with a loss to Northwood in the second round of the NCAA Division II Tournament’s Midwest Regional at the Grand Valley State University Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Michigan. The Tritons pulled off a first-round upset of 16th-ranked and second-seeded Ferris State, securing the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 70-59 win over the Bulldogs on Friday, but they couldn’t overcome their cold shooting in Saturday’s 60-49 loss to the 23rd-ranked and third-seeded Timberwolves. UMSL freshman guards Jayden Kuper and Lexi Hanna had started the tournament red hot, going a combined 12 for 20 from 3-point range while leading the Tritons to Friday’s victory. The 12 3-pointers was an UMSL season high. Kuper matched her career high with 25 points, and Hanna added 17. Mara Rieder and Morgan Ramthun combined for 23 points and 18 rebounds, and the Tritons held Ferris State to 30.1% shooting. UMSL couldn’t keep it going against Northwood. The Timberwolves, led by Lea Holmes and Maeve St. John, shot 15 for 27 from the field in the first half on Saturday while opening up a 39-19 lead at intermission. Coach Katie Vaughn‘s team tried to rally with a stronger defensive effort. UMSL held Northwood to only 2-for-12 shooting in the fourth quarter while getting as close as eight points. But the Tritons couldn’t overcome their own offensive struggles on a day when they hit just 3 of 20 3-pointers and 35% of their shots overall. Ramthun scored 13 points and had nine rebounds. Rieder, the Great Lakes Valley Conference Player of the Year, added 12 points and 14 rebounds for her 17th double-double of the season. But no other UMSL player scored more than eight points. The Tritons (25-6) finished the year with a school-record 25 victories, won the GLVC regular-season title for the first time ever with a record of 18-2, advanced to the GLVC Tournament final for the first time ever and secured the program’s fourth NCAA Tournament bid.
Baseball
UMSL won three out of four in its weekend series against Truman State as it opened Great Lakes Valley Conference play at the UMSL Baseball Field. The Tritons swept Friday’s doubleheader against the Bulldogs, winning 12-11 in the opener and 5-1 in the nightcap. Truman State won the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader 6-4, but UMSL bounced back with a 14-4 victory in eight innings in the series finale. Justin Terhaar had two hits and drove in three runs, including what proved to be the game-winner with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, in Friday’s first game. Garrett Strenger had three hits and drove in two runs in Friday’s second game, and the Tritons got a strong start from Eli Cartwright, who allowed only one unearned run in six innings and struck out 10. UMSL fell behind 6-0 in Saturday’s first game before mounting a comeback in the final three innings. Ethan Landis drove in a pair of runs with a single in the three-run sixth inning, but the rally came up short. The Tritons pounded out 15 hits, including home runs by Mitch Bonczkowski, Brandon Johnson, Bennett Cagle and Owen Faith in the final game on Saturday. Bonczkowski, Johnson and Cagle each finished with two RBI. Starting pitcher Bryce Nicolay went seven innings and picked up his first victory of the season after striking out seven and holding the Bulldogs to only three earned runs. UMSL (9-11, 3-1 GLVC) opens a four-game series at Quincy on Friday.
Softball
The Tritons went 3-1 over the weekend as they opened GLVC play on the road against Southwest Baptist and Rockhurst. UMSL split Friday’s doubleheader with the Bearcats, losing the first game 6-4 but pounding Southwest Baptist 12-4 in five innings in the second game in Bolivar, Missouri. The Tritons swept the Hawks on Saturday, 3-2 and 10-2 at Loyola Park in Kansas City. UMSL surrendered a two-run home run to Keeley Elsea with the score tied 4-4 in the sixth inning of Friday’s opener, but the Tritons’ offense took over the next three games. Sasha Buckberger, Jamie Widule and Maddie Illingworth combined for four home runs as UMSL pounded out 12 hits in the second game against Southwest Baptist. Buckberger had two of the home runs, finished with three RBI and also picked up the win in the circle, holding the Bearcats to three earned runs in five innings. Ashley Ware and Ashley Borowitz combined to hold Rockhurst to two runs in seven innings in Saturday’s first game, and Phoebe Miller provided most of the offense with a home run and two RBI. Kiley Sullivan scored the other run on a wild pitch. UMSL had 10 hits in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Kenzie Stoltz had two of the hits, including a home run, and finished with three RBI. She also picked up the win for the Tritons, holding Rockhurst to two runs in five innings while striking out four. UMSL will be back home next weekend to play doubleheaders against Missouri S&T on Saturday and Lincoln on Sunday.
Women’s Golf
The Tritons finished 12th out of 17 teams in last week’s Emerald Coast Classic, which concluded Tuesday at Sandestin-Baytowne Golf Club in Destin, Florida. UMSL posted a combined score of 905 as the host team in the 54-hole tournament. Wilma Zanderau was the Tritons’ top individual, finishing in a tie for 23rd with a total of 221. That was one shot better than Hillary Currier, who finished alone in 25th. Alaina Ervin, competing as an individual, was 41st with a total of 228, including a final-round 72. Texas-Tyler’s Lucy Kate Smith was the individual medalist with final score of 1-under-par 212. She won by one shot over West Florida’s Millie Thompson and Mississippi College’s Sydney Moss. Smith also led her Texas-Tyler to the team championship with a combined score of 859, 11 shots better than runner-up St. Mary’s. UMSL was back on the course on Sunday at the Findlay Spring Invitational at Boone Trace National Golf Club in Richmond, Kentucky. The tournament started a day earlier than originally scheduled due to weather. Mayan Covarrubias held the early lead in the tournament at 3-over-par, including an opening-round 73. She shot 67 through the first 16 holes of the second round before darkness halted play on Sunday evening. The tournament is scheduled to conclude on Monday.
Women’s Tennis
UMSL improved to 5-1 on the season with a 6-1 victory over McPherson on Saturday at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center in Forest Park. The Tritons won eight of nine matches overall, including a sweep of the three doubles contests. UMSL also got singles victories from Hannah Tse, Aleksandra Lopez, Morgan Lint, Anna Favaron and Giuliana Cunza. Tse topped Vanessa Hofer 6-3, 6-0 in the No. 1 singles match. Lopez beat Bella Ellerbee 6-1, 6-2 at No. 3. Morgan Lint was a 6-1, 6-2 winner over Laureen Van Drunen. Favaron beat Maria Luisa de Lama 6-3, 6-1 at No. 5, and Cunza blanked Eva Lestluhu 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6. UMSL will play host to No. 39 Northwest Missouri State on Saturday at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center.
Men’s Tennis
The Tritons snapped a three-match losing streak with a 4-3 victory over McPherson on Saturday at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center. UMSL won the doubles point by sweeping all three matches, and Percy Siercke, Andrea Ricart and Jose Yanez each picked up singles victories. Siercke beat Jayson Wasserfuhr 7-5, 6-2 in the No. 2 singles match. Ricart topped Balazs Temesvari 6-3, 6-2 at No. 5 singles, and Yanez was a 6-3, 6-1 winner over Davian Spies at No. 6 singles. The Tritons (2-5) will be back in action facing No. 48 Northwest Missouri State on Saturday at the Dwight Davis Tennis Center.
