The UMSL Tritons will play their last road game of the regular season, Saturday afternoon, at McKendree. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
UMSL Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 23 – UMSL (11-14, 9-8) at McKendree (15-9, 9-8)
Date/Time – February 24, 2024 – 3 pm
Location – Harry Statham Court — Lebanon, IL
Broadcast – GLVC TV
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
LEBANON, IL — With just two weekends left in the NCAA Division II men’s basketball regular season, the University of Missouri-St. Louis Tritons are headed into their most intense battles of the season.
UMSL is looking to clinch itself a berth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship Tournament, which will be played March 7-10 at Hyland Arena in St. Charles. Only the top eight teams in the conference qualify and heading into the final weeks of the season, UMSL is currently in eighth place.
The Tritons are battling with Illinois-Springfield, McKendree, and Rockhurst for that last spot. Three of the teams will get in, one will not. And these games this weekend could go a long way in determining who qualifies for the postseason and who doesn’t.
On Saturday, UMSL will face a huge battle, on the road against McKendree. The Bearcats are 15-9 on the season, but currently sit just .06 points ahead of UMSL in the GLVC Point Rating System, which is what is used to determine who will make the postseason tournament.
The Tritons are 11-14 overall, but have several big wins throughout the year, which is why the team still has a shot at making the postseason.
The Tritons are coming off a 70-55 win at Southwest Baptist last Saturday. Matt Enright led the way scoring 19 points in the contest while Troy Glover II added 18 points and seven rebounds. Georden Rogers added 13 points off the bench.
Enright continues to lead the team in scoring at 13.4 points per contest and is joined in double figures by Mayson Quartlebaum at 12.0 points per outing while Emanuel Prospere II and Glover are averaging 10.5 and 10.0 points per game respectively. Glover leads the team and GLVC in rebounding at 7.7 per game and is second in blocked shots with 1.8 per outing. Enright leads the team in assists (81) and steals (30).
About McKendree – The Bearcats enter Saturday’s contest riding a five-game winning streak and have an overall record of 15-9 including 9-8 in the GLVC. McKendree extended its winning streak last weekend with road wins at Southwest Baptist (71-65) and Drury (76-56).
As a team, the Bearcats are leading the GLVC in shooting at 51.5 percent from the field. They are also third in the GLVC in field goal percentage defense only allowing their opponents to shoot 43 percent from the floor.
Milos Vicentic leads McKendree’s attack with his 22.6 points per game. He is second in the GLVC and seventh in NCAA Division II in scoring this season. Caleb Zurliene is at 14.1 ppg while Carson Parker is contributing 11.5 points per outing. Zurliene leads the conference in blocked shots at 2.96 per game.
McKendree won the first meeting this season, 83-78, back on January 13 at the Mark Twain Building. Tip off on Saturday is set for 3 p.m.
The Tritons will out their regular season with a pair of home games next week. On Thursday, UMSL will host first place Indianapolis, and next Saturday, it will take on Lewis.
UMSL TRITONS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Matt Enright | So. | Guard | 6’1/175 | 13.4 | 4.2 | 81 | 30 |
| 15 Mayson Quartlebaum | Jr. | Forward | 6’6/235 | 12.0 | 4.7 | 35 | 13 |
| 20 Sam Wykle | Jr. | Guard | 6’5/190 | 9.0 | 3.7 | 30 | 12 |
| 21 Terrell Kabala | So. | Guard | 6’6/200 | 7.5 | 2.4 | 38 | 22 |
| 35 Troy Glover | So. | Center | 6’10/210 | 10.0 | 7.7 | 28 | 22 |
McKENDREE BEARCATS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 Joey Niesman | Jr. | Guard | 6’2/190 | 9.4 | 4.5 | 56 | 30 |
| 1 Kevin Stein | Jr. | Guard | 6’3/215 | 7.5 | 1.5 | 26 | 12 |
| 3 Caleb Zurliene | Sr. | Forward | 6’8/205 | 14.1 | 6.7 | 57 | 20 |
| 25 Carson Parker | Sr. | Guard | 6’5/200 | 11.5 | 7.0 | 67 | 12 |
| 31 Milos Vicentic | Jr. | Forward | 6’8/220 | 22.6 | 5.3 | 21 | 14 |
UMSL TRITONS 2023-24 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Gametime | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | McKendree | Lebanon, Ill. / Harry Statham Court |
| February 29, 2024 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Indianapolis | Mark Twain Building |
| March 2, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Lewis | Mark Twain Building |
| March 7-10, 2024 (Thursday) | TBA | Neutral | GLVC Tournament | Hyland Arena / St. Charles, Mo. |