Sophomore guard Matt Enright averaged 16.0 points a game in UMSL’s two wins last week. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
After snapping a losing streak and winning both its games last week, the University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team has a chance to make a strong move up the Great Lakes Valley Conference standings this weekend.
UMSL will be on the road, in Springfield on Thursday to play Drury. Then it will travel to Bolivar to take on Southwest Baptist on Saturday.
Both those teams have struggled during conference play and currently sit in the bottom three spots in the league standings. Drury (12-10) is 5-9 in GLVC play and is in 12th place, while Southwest Baptist (6-16) is 2-12 in league play, which puts them in last place in the conference.
UMSL’s wins over Illinois-Springfield and Quincy last week, moved the Tritons (10-13) back over the .500 mark in conference play. The Tritons are 8-7 in the league, which puts them tied for seventh place with Rockhurst.
This weekend’s schedule presents a real opportunity for UMSL. If the Tritons could pick up these two wins, while Rockhurst is facing a likely stiffer test against third-place William Jewell, they could grab sole possession of seventh place. And if things go really well and the teams directly ahead of UMSL, Lewis and Truman State (both 8-6), were to lose either of their games this weekend, the Tritons could move up as high as fifth place with just three weeks left in the regular season.
Point guard Matt Enright was a key figure in UMSL’s two wins last week. The 6-1 sophomore from Webster Groves, averaged 16.0 points per game in the two games, including a 22-point effort last Saturday against Quincy, which matched his season best scoring effort.
Enright is UMSL’s leading scoring this season at 13.1 ppg. Juniors Mayson Quartlebaum and Emanuel Prospere both average 10.3 ppg, while fellow sophomore Troy Glover II is the GLVC’s leading rebounder at 7.8 boards per game. He has seven games in which he’s reached double figures in rebounds, highlighted by a trio of 14-rebound performances.
UMSL Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 24 – UMSL (10-13, 8-7) at Drury (12-10, 5-9)
Date/Time – February 15, 2024 – 7:45 pm
Location – O’Reilly Family Events Center — Springfield, MO
Broadcast – GLVC TV
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
About Drury – The Panthers enter Thursday’s contest having lost two in a row and five of their last seven. They have been good at home though this season, having won nine of their 11 contests played at the O’Reilly Family Events Center.
Drury is the sixth highest scoring team in the conference this season with an average of 76.3 points per game.
Logan Applegate leads the team in scoring and rebounding at 15 points and 5.2 rebounds per contest and is joined in double figures by Juok Riak with 13.1 ppg. He also leads the team with 52 assists and 39 steals. Riley Naeger has a team best 14 blocked shots.
UMSL Basketball – Gameday Info
Game No. 25 – UMSL (10-13, 8-7) at Southwest Baptist (6-16, 2-12)
Date/Time – February 17, 2024 – 3 pm
Location – Meyer Sports Center — Bolivar, MO
Broadcast – GLVC TV
Live Stats – Sidearm Stats
About Southwest Baptist – It’s been a tough season since the start for the Bearcats, who have only won six games all year and have dropped 10 of their last 11.
Drenin Denkins leads Southwest Baptist in scoring with 16.4 ppg and is joined in double figures by Drew McMillen with 11.5 ppg. David Hector is the team’s leading rebounder with 5.6 boards per game and leads the squad with 61 assists and 28 steals. Noah Franklin and Sasha Glushkov are tied for the team lead with 12 blocked shots.
UMSL sports information contributed to this story.
UMSL TRITONS 2023-24 MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Gametime | At | Opponent | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |