UMSL junior Troy Glover had 15 points and 14 rebounds in the Tritons’ NCAA Tournament second round win over Missouri S&T on Sunday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| #4 UMSL (21-11) | 27 | 38 | 65 |
| #1 Missouri S&T (25-6) | 24 | 32 | 56 |
DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
SPRINGFIELD, IL — The University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team has advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament regional finals for the third time in the last four years. And it did so by defeating top-seeded Missouri S&T, 65-56, in an NCAA Tournament second round game, Sunday evening at The Recreation and Athletic Center in Springfield.
UMSL had four players score in double figures, led by senior Savon Wykle, who posted 16 points, including five clutch free throws in the final 1:05 of the game.
Junior big man Troy Glover also had a big night for the Tritons. The 6-foot-10, 225-pounder scored 15 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and blocked three shots to help power an UMSL defense that held S&T 35 percent shooting for the night and didn’t allow any three-point makes in the second half.
UMSL led the entire game — building its lead to as many as eight points in the first half and 13 points in the second. S&T went on an 8-0 run to get within five points with four minutes left.
But the Tritons responded with a layup and a free throw by Emanuel Prospere to go back up by seven points with just over a minute left. That set up Wykle’s final minute free throws that helped put the game away.
The Tritons, who came into the tournament as the No. 4 seed, will take on second-seeded Lake Superior State in the regional final.
That game will be played on Tuesday at the TRAC, with tip off set for 7 p.m. The winner will advance to the national quarterfinals, also known as the Elite Eight, which will be played at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., next Tuesday, March 25.
The national semifinals are March 27, with the D2 national championship game set to be played on Saturday, March 29.
UMSL won the Midwest Regional Championship in 2023, before losing in the Elite Eight to eventual national champion Nova Southeastern.
#4 UMSL 65
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Wykle,Savon | * | 40 | 4-11 | 1-5 | 7-8 | 0-5 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 16 |
| 35 | Glover II,Troy | * | 38 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 5-7 | 1-13 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 15 |
| 12 | Prospere II,Emanuel | * | 23 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 5-8 | 0-6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 03 | Enright,Matt | * | 40 | 4-11 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-6 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 10 | Harris,Janeir | * | 38 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| 23 | Purvey,Iziah | 10 | 3-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 04 | Udolisa,KC | 9 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 01 | Parker,Quenton | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 22-48 | 4-14 | 17-23 | 4-34 | 38 | 15 | 8 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 65 |
#1 Missouri S&T 56
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | Young,Andrew | * | 37 | 8-15 | 0-3 | 3-3 | 1-4 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 19 |
| 14 | Williams,Lovell | * | 38 | 5-14 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 11 |
| 05 | Sroka,Ryan | * | 29 | 4-8 | 2-4 | 1-1 | 0-4 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| 10 | Stovall,Cameron | * | 30 | 3-9 | 0-1 | 3-6 | 0-7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 02 | Benassi,Alex | * | 30 | 0-7 | 0-4 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 35 | Brown,Zac | 10 | 2-6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | |
| 11 | Renkoski,Kyle | 0+ | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 12 | Burns,Aidan | 13 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 01 | Beauchamp,Blaise | 10 | 0-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 23 | Rickman,Adam | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | Onunkwor,Michael | 0+ | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | Zarr,Jack | 0+ | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 23-65 | 3-19 | 7-10 | 11-27 | 38 | 18 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 4 | 56 |
2024-25 UMSL TRITONS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Results/W-L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 8, 2024 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | Michigan Tech | Wisconsin Dells, Wis. | L 72-57 (0-1) |
| November 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Neutral | Northern Michigan | Wisconsin Dells, Wis. | 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 | W 83-53 (2-5) |
| December 5, 2024 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | UIndy | Mark Twain Building | W 66-59 (3-5) |
| December 7, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Lewis | Mark Twain Building | L 81-61 (3-6) |
| December 17, 2024 (Tuesday) | 3 p.m. | Neutral | Pittsburg State | San Antonio, Texas | W 62-58 (4-6) |
| December 18, 2024 (Wednesday) | 1 p.m. | Neutral | Rogers State | San Antonio, Texas | W 67-57 (5-6) |
| January 3, 2025 (Friday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Upper Iowa | Fayette, Iowa | W 75-73 (6-6) |
| January 5, 2025 (Sunday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Quincy | Quincy, Ill. | postponed |
| January 9, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Southwest Baptist | Mark Twain Building | postponed |
| January 11, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Rockhurst | Mark Twain Building | L 88-71 (6-7) |
| January 13, 2025 (Monday) | 5:30 pm | Home | Southwest Baptist | Mark Twain Building | W 71-65 (7-7) |
| January 16, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Lincoln | Jefferson City, Mo. | W 69-51 (8-7) |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | #17 Missouri S&T | Rolla, Mo. | L 88-84 (8-8) |
| January 20, 2025 (Monday) | 6 p.m. | Away | Quincy | Quincy, Ill. | L 79-76 (8-9) |
| January 23, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Maryville | St. Louis, Mo. | W 91-66 (9-9) |
| January 30, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Illinois-Springfield | Mark Twain Building | W 74-66 (10-9) |
| February 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | McKendree | Mark Twain Building | L 68-66 (10-10) |
| February 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | Lewis | Romeoville, Ill. | W 77-66 (11-10) |
| February 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | UIndy | Indianapolis, Ind. | W 71-70 (12-10) |
| February 13, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Quincy | Mark Twain Building | W 85-62 (13-10) |
| February 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Upper Iowa | Mark Twain Building | W 70-67 (14-10) |
| February 20, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Away | William Jewell | Liberty, Mo. | W 78-77 (15-10) |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Truman State | Kirksville, Mo. | W 86-62 (16-10) |
| February 27, 2025 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Drury | Mark Twain Building | W 66-60 (17-10) |
| March 6, 2025 (Thursday) | 2:15 p.m. | Neutral | #7 Rockhurst | St. Charles, Mo. / Hyland Arena | W 77-70 (18-10) |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 2:15 p.m. | Neutral | #3 Upper Iowa | St. Charles, Mo. / Hyland Arena | W 87-80 (19-10) |
| March 9, 2025 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Neutral | #4 Lincoln | St. Charles, Mo. / Hyland Arena | L 58-51 (19-11) |
| March 15, 2025 (Saturday) | 7:30 p.m. | Neutral | #5 Ferris State | Springfield, Ill. / The TRAC | W 81-79 (20-11) |
| March 16, 2025 (Sunday) | 7:30 p.m. | Neutral | #1 Missouri S&T | Springfield, Ill. / The TRAC | W 65-56 (21-11) |
| March 18, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7 p.m. | Neutral | #2 Lake Superior State | Springfield, Ill. / The TRAC |