UMSL’s Katie Hamill scored a game-high 15 points in the Tritons’ win over SIUE on Monday. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)

Jason Barnes
Special to the Editor

EDWARDSVILLE, IL — The University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s basketball team defeated Division I Southern Illinois University Edwardsville 60-54 in an exhibition contest on Monday evening at First Community Arena in Edwardsville, Ill. While an exhibition game for UMSL it was SIUE’s season opener and it drops to 0-1.
 
The Tritons jumped out to a 4-1 lead but a 7-0 run from the Cougars gave them a four-point lead after two free throws from Brianna Wooldridge. UMSL got back-to-back baskets from Emerson Weller and Alex Wolff to even the score at eight but SIUE scored seven of the final 10 points of the stanza to take a four-point lead into the second quarter.
 
The Tritons opened the second quarter on a 7-0 run to match its largest lead of the contest at 18-15 after a layup from Audrey Martinez-Stewart. UMSL had a chance to extend its lead but a turnover led to the Cougars finishing the half on an 11-3 run allowing them to take a 26-21 lead into the locker room at the break.
 
SIUE scored the first points of the third quarter to take its largest lead of the contest but the Tritons countered with a 13-5 run to retake the lead at 34-33 after Weller scored off a rebound on a missed free throw by Hamill.
 
The Cougars once again closed out a quarter strong finishing with a 7-2 run to take a four-point lead into the final 10 minutes of play.
 
The Tritons opened the fourth quarter on an 8-2 run to take a 44-42 after three straight points from Mara Rieder. SIUE came right back though thanks to a 6-2 run to take a 50-48 lead on a layup by Ava Stoller with 4:41 remaining.
 
UMSL tied the game on a layup by Abby Peterson but the Cougars got a free throw from Ava Gugliuzza and layup from Emiyah Cobb with 4:05 remaining. That would be SIUE’s final field goal of the contest.
 
The Tritons got back-to-back baskets from Katie Hamill and Wolff and two free throws from Martinez-Stewart to take a three-point lead.
 
The Cougars final point of the game came on a free throw from Halle Smith with 68 seconds remaining.
 
UMSL sealed the game at the foul line hitting four of six free throws in the final 20-plus seconds of play.
 
It was the depth scoring that proved insurmountable for the SIUE defense as seven different players scored for the Tritons.
 
UMSL shot thirty-five percent (21-for-60) on the night going 4-of-13 on three-point attempts and shot 70 percent (14-for-20) at the charity stripe. The Tritons outrebounded the Cougars 47-to-40 in the contest. Freshman Hamill finished with a game-high 15 points while Wolff and Rieder added 11 points each. Ramthun finished with eight rebounds and Martinez-Stewart handed out six assists.
 
SIUE finished the night shooting thirty percenter (18-for-60) and was 2-for-17 on three-point attempts. Wooldridge led the Cougars with 12 points. Meegan Fahy led both teams with four steals on the night.
 
UMSL will host its home opener on Friday, November 8, against Roosevelt. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. at the Mark Twain Building.

UMSL 60

SIUE 54