Savon Wykle led four UMSL players in double figures with 14 points – nine in the second half – to help the men’s basketball team secure its first win of the season in Saturday’s GLVC opener at Illinois Springfield. (Photo by Patrick Clark/Athlete’s Eye Photography)
Men’s Basketball
The University of Missouri–St. Louis held off a late rally by Illinois Springfield and pulled out a 69-64 road victory on Saturday, picking up its first victory of the season in its Great Lakes Valley Conference opener. Savon Wykle led four players in double figures with 14 points and also added a team-high seven rebounds. Wykle scored five points during a 12-3 surge to start the second half as the Tritons pushed their lead to as many as 11 points. He also helped ice the game with two free throws and an assist in the final 30 seconds after the Prairie Stars pulled as close as four points on three occasions in the last five minutes. UMSL also got 13 points each from Janeir Harris and Emanuel Prospere II off the bench. Matt Enright added 10 points. The Tritons shot 13 for 21 from the field in the second half. Matt Kunnert had a game-high 28 points for Illinois Springfield, but the Prairie Stars missed 13 of 22 free throws in the game. UMSL (1-5, 1-0 GLVC) begins a three-game homestand when it plays host to Maryville tonight. The Tritons will also play Indianapolis on Thursday and Lewis on Saturday at the Mark Twain Athletic Center.
Women’s Basketball
The Tritons ran their winning streak to four games with a pair of road victories, over Purdue Northwest and Illinois Springfield, the latter coming in the GLVC opener. UMSL beat Purdue Northwest 66-56 last Tuesday in Hammond, Indiana. Freshman guard Katie Hamill scored a team-high 23 points, leading three Tritons in double figures. Kate Rolfes added 13 points, and Morgan Ramthun had 10 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. UMSL shot 7 for 10 from the field and 7 for 8 from the foul line in the fourth quarter to hold on after getting outscored 21-16 in the third period. The Tritons were even more dominant in an 87-67 win against the Prairie Stars on Saturday, shooting 37 for 65 from the field (56.9%) and sinking 9 or 10 free throws. Alex Wolff scored a game-high 24 points, Ramthun added a season-best 21, and Rolfes had 18. UMSL also got 12 points off the bench from Emerson Weller. The Tritons held Illinois Springfield to 42.4% shooting and forced 17 turnovers while coming up with nine steals. UMSL (5-1, 1-0 GLVC) will play host to Maryville on Monday, Indianapolis on Thursday and Lewis on Saturday.
Volleyball
The 25nd-ranked Tritons (19-8) received an at-large bid into the NCAA Division II Volleyball Tournament for the fifth straight year when the 64-team field was unveiled last Monday evening. Coach Ryan Young‘s team is seeded eighth in the Midwest Regional and will take on top-ranked Ferris State in a first-round match on Thursday in Big Rapids, Michigan. No. 2 seed Grand Valley State will meet No. 7 seed Quincy, No. 3 seed Hillsdale will face No. 6 seed Findlay and No. 4 seed Lewis will take on No. 5 seed Rockhurst in other first-round matches on Thursday. The regional semifinals are slated for Friday, and the regional championship will take place on Saturday with the winner advancing to the NCAA Division II Championship along with the seven other regional champions Dec. 12-14 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
