UMSL senior Jose Grubbs had 19 points and eight rebounds in the Tritons’ 75-68 win over Wisconsin-Parkside, Monday evening in Kenosha. (Photo: Nathan Assata)
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMSL (8-2) | 44 | 31 | 75 |
| WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE (5-6) | 31 | 37 | 68 |
by Torrance Terrell
Staff Writer
After taking a full 10 days off for finals and rest, the University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team got back into action, Monday evening, with road trip to Kenosha, Wis., to face former Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Wisconsin-Parkside, in a non-conference contest at UWP’s DeSimone Gymnasium.
And the Tritons looked every bit like a well-rested team that couldn’t wait to get back onto the court, as they jumped out to a quick lead, then built that margin to 15 points before halftime. Wisconsin-Parkside tried to rally in the second half, but UMSL maintained control and built its lead as high as 20 points, before finally finishing off the host Rangers, 75-68.
Senior wingman Jose Grubbs lead the way for the Tritons with 19 points and eight rebounds. The native of nearby Joliet, Ill., was especially good in the second half, when he helped UMSL keep its lead by scoring 13 points, including two big three-pointers after Wisconsin-Parkside had seemed to grab the momentum.
Junior Marty Jackson had 18 points — 14 in the first half — and teammates Atavian Butler scored 12 points (off the bench) and Yaakema Rose added eight points, three steals, and six assists, as UMSL won its third game in a row.
The victory, which lifted UMSL’s record to 8-2 on the season, was also the Tritons’ sixth win in its last seven games, with the only loss coming on a last-second buzzer beater, on the road against then-No. 6-ranked Truman State.
Wisconsin-Parkside’s Tray Croft had 24 points, including six three-pointers, to lead all scorers. The Rangers hit 17 three’s on the night, which was enough to get them back to within six points midway through the second half, but UMSL responded with an 11-3 run to go back up by 14 points with five minutes to go.
The host Rangers managed to get as close as five points with less than a minute to go, but Jackson hit a pair of clutch free throws and Rose made a pair of dynamic steals to make sure the Tritons would leave Wisconsin with a win.
UMSL will play one more game non-conference game this month, before moving on to its full GLVC schedule in January.
That next game for the Tritons will be at home, on Friday, December 31, when UMSL will host Eureka College at the Mark Twain Building. Tipoff that night is scheduled for 1 p.m.
After hopefully celebrating the new year with a win on New Year’s Eve, UMSL will open the 2022 portion of its season with a three-game homestand, beginning with a huge matchup against 9-2 Maryville University, on January 4.
The Tritons and Saints — both potential NCAA Tournament teams — are currently tied for second place in the GLVC Central and will both be looking for a chance to keep pace with first place Truman.
Tipoff for the game against Maryville is slated for 7:30 p.m., and will follow a game between the school’s women’s teams that will begin at 5:30 p.m.
| UMSL | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Jose Grubbs | * | 36 | 7-10 | 3-4 | 2-3 | 0-8 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| 21 | Marty Jackson | * | 36 | 7-11 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 1-3 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 18 |
| 04 | Yaakema Rose | * | 32 | 3-10 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 8 |
| 11 | Isaiah Fuller | * | 27 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 0-5 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 23 | Steve Webb | * | 21 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| 22 | Atavian Butler | 15 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | |
| 13 | Kellen King | 8 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 05 | Trever Moore | 22 | 1-5 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-7 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| 01 | Marquis Collins | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | – | 200 | 28-51 | 5-10 | 14-18 | 4-36 | 40 | 11 | 18 | 15 | 2 | 8 | 75 |
| UWP | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 04 | Tray Croft | * | 35 | 7-22 | 6-12 | 4-5 | 0-4 | 4 | 0 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 24 |
| 01 | Vinson Sigmon Jr. | * | 32 | 5-14 | 4-8 | 0-1 | 0-2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 14 | Rasheed Bello | * | 29 | 3-8 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 25 | Ramar Evans | * | 31 | 3-8 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 20 | Colin O’Rourke | * | 6 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | Cameron Myre | 18 | 4-9 | 4-8 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 12 | |
| 30 | Jason Larson | 16 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 11 | Jacksun Hamilton | 33 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 4-7 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | – | 200 | 23-65 | 17-38 | 5-8 | 7-23 | 30 | 15 | 14 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 68 |
| UMSL Tritons Men’s Basketball Upcoming Schedule |
| Fri., December 31 — vs. Eureka — 1 pm |
| Tue., January 4 — vs. Maryville — 7:30 pm |
| Thu., January 6 — vs. Rockhurst — 7:30 pm |
| Sat., January 8 — vs. Missouri S&T — 3 pm |
| All UMSL home basketball games will be played at the Mark Twain Building. |