The UMSL Tritons will host a pair of home games this week. Thursday against Illinois-Springfield and Saturday against Quincy. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
UMSL Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 23 – Illinois-Springfield (16-7, 9-4) at UMSL (8-13, 6-7)
Date/Time – February 8, 2024 – 7:30 pm
Location – Mark Twain Building — Normandy, MO
Broadcast – GLVC TV
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
Cedric Williams
Staff Writer
NORMANDY, MO — The University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team will look to snap a three-game losing streak this weekend, when it hosts a pair of home games at the Mark Twain Building against Illinois-Springfield and Quincy.
The Tritons are 8-13 on the season and have slipped to 6-7 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings. UMSL was 5-1 and one game out of first place in the GLVC back in January, but the three losses, which has extended a rough losing stretch to six of their last seven games, the Tritons are now in a three-way tie for seventh place.
UMSL needs wins if it’s going to make the postseason and it needs to start getting them soon.
On Thursday, the Tritons will face a tough task against UIS, which has a 16-7 overall record this year and currently sits in third place in the GLVC standings.
The Prairie Stars have been one of the hottest teams in the conference lately, having won five of their last seven, including wins over William Jewell and Rockhurst last week. With a win over UMSL and a loss by Upper Iowa in its game against first place Indianapolis tonight, UIS could move into second place.
Players to Watch: UMSL’s best player lately has been junior forward Mayson Quartlebaum. The 6-foot-6, 235-pounder from Lawrence, Kan., has reached double-figures in points in seven straight games, including a career-high 26 points in UMSL’s last win, two weeks ago against Missouri S&T.
For the season, Quartlebaum is tied with sophomore guard Matt Enright for the team lead in scoring at 12.8 points per game. Enright leads the Tritons in three-pointers made (36), assists (69), and steals (25). He is also UMSL’s top free throw shooter (85%).
Other top contributors include Emanuel Prospere, who scores 10.3 ppg, and Troy Glover, who leads the team and the GLVC in rebounding, at 7.8 per game.
UIS is led by this week’s GLVC Player of the Week, junior guard Jacob Hanna, who averaged 15.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists, while shooting 67 percent from the field in the Prairie Stars’ two wins last week.
The Prairie Stars have four players averaging double digits in scoring this led by Jordan Rice at 14.9 per game while Hanna is adding 14.1 per contest and Max Kummert and Jack Weber are each contributing 12.2 points per outing. Hanna leads the team and is fourth in the league in rebounding with 7.2 rebounds per game. Rice has dished out a team-best 115 assists and is tied with Hanna for the team lead with 35 steals.
Thursday’s contest is the second meeting of the season between the Tritons and Prairie Stars, with UMSL having won the first meeting, 87-81, back on December 9.
Up Next: The Tritons will host Quincy (10-11, 5-8) on Saturday. Tip off for that contest is set for 3 p.m.
ILLINOIS-SPRINGFIELD PRAIRIE STARS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jordan Rice | Jr. | Guard | 5’9/165 | 14.9 | 2.8 | 115 | 35 |
| 3 Max Kunnert | Jr. | Guard | 6’4/195 | 12.2 | 3.4 | 38 | 9 |
| 5 Jacob Hanna | Jr. | Guard | 6’3/181 | 14.1 | 7.2 | 74 | 35 |
| 15 Jack Weber | Jr. | Forward | 6’6/231 | 12.2 | 4.3 | 69 | 14 |
| 31 Khalil Ross | Fr. | Forward | 6’7/185 | 5.6 | 3.4 | 19 | 6 |
UMSL TRITONS STARTERS
| Player | Yr. | Pos. | Ht./Wt. | PPG | RPG | Assists | Steals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Matt Enright | So. | Guard | 6’1/175 | 12.8 | 4.1 | 69 | 25 |
| 12 Emanuel Prospere | Jr. | Forward | 6’5/212 | 10.3 | 3.3 | 43 | 20 |
| 15 Mayson Quartlebaum | Jr. | Forward | 6’6/235 | 12.8 | 4.1 | 29 | 11 |
| 21 Terrell Kabala | So. | Guard | 6’6/200 | 8.0 | 2.4 | 28 | 19 |
| 35 Troy Glover | So. | Center | 6’10/210 | 9.1 | 7.8 | 22 | 17 |
UMSL TRITONS 2023-24 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Gametime | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 8, 2024 (Thursday) | 7:30 p.m. | Home | Illinois Springfield | Mark Twain Building |
| February 10, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Quincy | Mark Twain Building |
| February 15, 2024 (Thursday) | 7:45 p.m. | Away | Drury | Springfield, Mo. / O’Reilly Family Events Center |
| February 17, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Southwest Baptist | Bolivar, Mo. / John Q. Hammons Court |
| 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 | TBD |