UMSL’s Savon Wykle had 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks in the Tritons’ win over Illinois-Springfield on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMSL (1-5, 1-0) | 32 | 37 | 69 |
| Illinois-Springfield (3-3, 0-1) | 30 | 34 | 64 |
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD, MO — Desperate for a win, after losing its first five games to open the new season, the University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team got it on Saturday, when it went on the road to begin Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a matchup against the University of Illinois-Springfield.
UMSL grabbed the lead for good midway through the first half and held on the rest of the way, before leaving UIS’s TRAC Center with a 69-64 win.
Senior guard Savon Wykle led the Tritons with 14 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and two blocks. It was also his layup with just over nine minutes left in the first half that gave UMSL the lead for good at 18-17.
Another Wykle layup in the second half gave the Tritons their biggest lead of the day at 44-33 early in the second half. From that point on, UIS got as close as four points four different times, but the host Prairie Stars never got closer, as UMSL salted the game away in the final minutes.
Wykle made two free throws and set up teammate Terrell Kabala for a dunk in the final seconds to seal UMSL’s first win of the season. Fellow seniors Janeir Harris and Emanuel Prospere both came off the bench to score 13 points for the Tritons. Harris also had six rebounds, and Prospere added three rebounds and three assists.
Junior Matt Enright scored 10 points, including two made three-pointers and two steals, to help UMSL’s effort.
UIS’s Max Kunnert led all scorers with 28 points, but was the only Prairie Star player to reach double-figures.
UMSL is now 1-5 on the season, but 1-0 in the GLVC. UIS is 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the conference.
The Tritons will look to keep their winning ways going with three home games this week.
UMSL will host Maryville on Monday, Indianapolis on Thursday, and Lewis on Saturday. The Monday and Thursday games will both tip off at 7:30 p.m., while Saturday’s contest will begin at 3 p.m.
UMSL 69
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Wykle, Savon | * | 40 | 5-10 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 0-7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 14 |
| 03 | Enright, Matt | * | 36 | 4-9 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10 |
| 35 | Glover II, Troy | * | 28 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-4 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 04 | Udolisa, KC | * | 22 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| 22 | Chartrand, Ethan | * | 5 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | Harris, Janeir | 28 | 5-10 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 1-5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| 12 | Prospere II, Emanuel | 21 | 4-7 | 0-1 | 5-6 | 2-1 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 13 | |
| 21 | Kabala, Terrell | 17 | 2-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 23 | Purvey, Zay | 3 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 27-51 | 5-16 | 10-12 | 4-26 | 30 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 69 |
Illinois-Springfield 64
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 | Kunnert,Max | * | 36 | 11-18 | 2-6 | 4-5 | 0-5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 28 |
| 20 | Altman,Evan | * | 38 | 3-6 | 2-3 | 0-2 | 2-5 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 15 | Weber,Jack | * | 22 | 4-10 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 31 | Ross,Khalil | * | 20 | 0-7 | 0-2 | 1-4 | 3-1 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 04 | McGlothlin,Braden | * | 14 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Shockey,Nate | 34 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 3-5 | 2-2 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 8 | |
| 32 | Esker,Isaiah | 16 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1-3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7 | |
| 23 | Banks,Tye | 20 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 25-54 | 5-14 | 9-22 | 12-22 | 34 | 12 | 16 | 9 | 2 | 5 | 64 |
2024-25 UMSL TRITONS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Tournament | Results/W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 8, 2024 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | Michigan Tech | Wisconsin Dells, Wis. | JustAGame Crossover | L 72-57 (0-1) |
| November 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Neutral | Northern Michigan | Wisconsin Dells, Wis. | JustAGame Crossover | L 77-63 (0-2) |
| November 13, 2024 (Wednesday) | 6 p.m. | Home | Winona State | Mark Twain Building | W 72-62 (0-3) | |
| November 21, 2024 (Thursday) | 5:30 p.m. | Neutral | Alabama – Huntsville | Lebanon, Ill. | L 74-63 (0-4) | |
| November 22, 2024 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Neutral | Lake Superior State | Lebanon, Ill. | L 59-46 (0-5) | |
| November 30, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Illinois-Springfield | Springfield, Ill. | W 69-64 (1-5) | |
| December 2, 2024 (Monday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Maryville | Mark Twain Building | ||
| December 5, 2024 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | UIndy | Mark Twain Building | ||
| December 7, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Lewis | Mark Twain Building | ||
| December 17, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 p.m. | Neutral | Pittsburg State | San Antonio, Texas | River City Holiday Classic | |
| December 18, 2024 (Wednesday) | 1 p.m. | Neutral | Rogers State | San Antonio, Texas | River City Holiday Classic | |
| January 3, 2025 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Upper Iowa | Fayette, Iowa | ||
| January 5, 2025 (Sunday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Quincy | Quincy, Ill. | ||
| January 9, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Southwest Baptist | Mark Twain Building | ||
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Rockhurst | Mark Twain Building | ||
| January 16, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Lincoln | Jefferson City, Mo. | ||
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Missouri S&T | Rolla, Mo. | ||
| January 23, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Maryville | St. Louis, Mo. | ||
| January 30, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Illinois-Springfield | Mark Twain Building | ||
| February 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | McKendree | Mark Twain Building | ||
| February 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Lewis | Romeoville, Ill. | ||
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | UIndy | Indianapolis, Ind. | ||
| February 13, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Quincy | Mark Twain Building | ||
| February 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Upper Iowa | Mark Twain Building | ||
| February 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | William Jewell | Liberty, Mo. | ||
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Truman State | Kirksville, Mo. | ||
| February 27, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Drury | Mark Twain Building | ||
| March 6-9, 2025 | TBD | Neutral | GLVC Tournament | St. Charles, Mo. / Hyland Arena | GLVC MEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT |