Grad student senior Alex LaPorta, who leads UMSL in scoring and rebounding, has been a key figure in the Tritons’ 3-1 start to begin this season. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
UMSL Women’s Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 5 – UMSL Tritons (3-1) at Quincy Lady Hawks (1-4)
Date/Time – Monday, November 29 – 5:30 pm
Location – Pepsi Arena – Quincy, MO
Broadcast – GLVC Sports Network
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
by DeMarcus Dixon
Staff Writer
After losing the season opener in a tight ballgame to No. 18-ranked Grand Valley State, the University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s basketball team has won three straight non-conference games and has begun to look like the team many expected it to be this season.
But things will get a bit tougher for UMSL beginning this week, when the Tritons will open up Great Lakes Valley Conference play with three straight conference road games.
The first of which will come Monday evening, when UMSL will travel two and half hours north, up to Quincy, Ill., to take on the Quincy Lady Hawks.
Unlike UMSL, Quincy got off to a very rough start to begin the season. The Lady Hawks lost each of their first four games, all by double-digits, before finally picking up a win in their last contest — an 82-51 victory over William Penn University last Tuesday.
Quincy was picked to finish in the bottom third of the GLVC this season, but the Lady Hawks will be looking to prove all the predictors wrong. And they can begin that by knocking off UMSL in both teams’ league opener.
UMSL has won the last three, and six of the last seven, matchups between the two clubs, including a 70-49 beatdown in Quincy, last January. The Lady Hawks do lead the all-time series though, 10-9, with their last win coming in Quincy in 2019.
Players to Watch: UMSL is led by four-time All-GLVC forward Alex LaPorta. The grad student senior, who is also the program’s first-ever All-American, is once again UMSL’s top scorer (15.8 points per game) and top rebounder (8.5 rebounds per game) this season.
LaPorta entered the year, seventh all-time in career scoring at UMSL, second all-time in rebounding, third in steals, and sixth in assists. With another solid season, she could very easily put herself in the top three in each of those categories.
In four games this year, frontcourt mate and fellow senior Kiara Stewart has also been a standout for the Tritons. She averages 10.0 ppg and 7.8 rpg.
Freshman Mallory Ronshausen has also been a spark for UMSL. She leads the Tritons in three-point shooting (.385 percent) and has already made twice as many threes as anyone else on the team so far this season.
Quincy also has a sharpshooter from outside to keep an eye on, in sophomore Grace Flanagan. She’s shooting .398 percent from beyond the arc and is averaging 9.8 ppg.
Point guard Beth Matas Martin is the Lady Hawks’ leading scorer so far this year. The junior from Spain is averaging 10.2 ppg, and had 15 points, eight rebounds, and six assists in the win over William Penn last week.
Up Next: UMSL won’t play another home game until after the calendar year changes. This week, following the game at Quincy, the Tritons will play at Truman State on Thursday, then at Lindenwood on Saturday.
UMSL’s next home game won’t be until January 4, when the Tritons will host Maryville at the Mark Twain Building.
Quincy will also play at Lindenwood this week. They’ll play the Lions at Hyland Arena on Thursday. The Lady Hawks will then get a week off for finals, before returing to their home court on Friday, December 10, to play Hannibal-LaGrange.
Probable Starters
UMSL (3-1) Yr. Pos. Ht. PPG RPG
10 Mallory Ronshausen Fr. G 5-6 9.5 2.5
11 Alex LaPorta Sr. F 6-0 15.8 8.5
20 Danielle Berry Sr. G 5-8 9.0 5.5
23 Faye Meissner Sr. G 5-5 8.0 2.3
24 Kiara Stewart Sr. C 6-0 10.0 7.8
Quincy (1-4) Yr. Pos. Ht. PPG RPG
5 Beth Matas Martin Jr. G 5-6 10.2 5.2
10 Dami Adeyinka Sr. G 5-4 8.8 2.2
11 Emma Knipe Jr. G 5-8 3.8 4.6
20 Grace Flanagan So. F 5-10 9.8 2.9
33 Sarah Nelson Jr. F 6-0 9.0 5.8
| UMSL Tritons Women’s Basketball Upcoming Schedule |
| Mon., November 29 — at Quincy — 5:30 pm |
| Thu., December 2 — at Truman State — 5:30 pm |
| Sat., December 4 — at Lindenwood — 1 pm |
| Thu., December 9 — at Christian Brothers — 5 pm |
| Sat., December 18 — at Principia — 1 pm |
| Tue., January 4 — vs. Maryville — 5:30 pm |
| All UMSL home basketball games will be played at the Mark Twain Building |