UMSL’s Marty Jackson (left) and Lindenwood’s Brandon Suggs (right) get set for action during Saturday’s NCAA Division II men’s basketball game at Hyland Arena in St. Charles. (Photo: Nathan Assata)
| Men’s Game – Dec. 4, 2021 | 1 | 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| UMSL (6-2, 1-1) | 41 | 36 | 77 |
| Lindenwood (5-3, 1-2) | 33 | 28 | 61 |
| Women’s Game – Dec. 4, 2021 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT 1 | OT 2 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UMSL (6-1, 3-0) | 18 | 15 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 15 | 80 |
| Lindenwood (2-5, 2-1) | 18 | 12 | 12 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 76 |
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. CHARLES, MO — With one team coming off a crushing loss at the buzzer, and the other a sensational win in overtime, the University of Missouri-St. Louis and Lindenwood University men’s basketball teams met for the first time this season, Saturday afternoon at Lindenwood’s Hyland Arena.
In it’s last game, UMSL had No. 20 Truman State on the ropes and was on the verge of pulling off the first big upset of the season. But the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason favorite Bulldogs hit a half-court shot at the buzzer to steal the victory away from the Tritons.
That same night, Lindenwood rallied from 11 points down to beat Quincy in double overtime to pick up its first GLVC win of the season. That was the backdrop for Saturday, as both clubs were looking to finish off the first week of league play with a win that would put them in second place in the GLVC Central Division standings.
And it was UMSL that got 24 points and six rebounds from All-Conference forward Marty Jackson, and held Lindenwood to just 28 points in the second half, which allowed the Tritons to run away with a 77-61 road win.
Seniors Shane Wissink (15 points) and Jose Grubbs (nine points — all on three-pointers), contributed as well, as UMSL showed it had no lingering effects from the heartbreaking loss to Truman.
Lindenwood got 16 points from Jacoby Ross, and 15 from Romelo Burrell, but the Lions also had 15 turnovers to UMSL’s seven, and were outrebounded 41-32, in a game where the teams traded the lead several times in the early going, before the Tritons took control midway through the first half.
Ross made a driving layup with just under 10 minutes left in the opening half to put Lindenwood up 24-20. But UMSL responded with an 11-2 run, sparked by a pair of dazzling one-on-one moves that led to open shots by Yaakema Rose, which put the Tritons up 31-26.
UMSL never trailed again.
The Tritons pushed their lead to 12 points early in the second half, and as many as 14 points late in the game, before eventually winning by 16.
The victory raised UMSL’s overall record to 6-2, and moved its conference record to 1-1. Lindenwood fell to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in league play.
The Tritons will be back in action on Friday, December 10, when they’ll be on the road again with a game at Quincy. With finals and Christmas break approaching, UMSL only has one more home game in 2021, a non-conference affair on December 31 against Eureka College.
Lindenwood will look to get back on the winning track on Tuesday, December 14, when the Lions will host Christian Brothers University at the Hyland Arena. The UMSL-Lindenwood rematch will take place on February 19, 2022. The Tritons will host that contest at the Mark Twain Building.
In the women’s game… the Tritons and Lions played an absolute thriller. Lindenwood nearly won in regulation and then thought they had hit the game-winning shot at the buzzer in overtime, but after reviewing the play, the officials determined the shot came after the time had run out.
And in the second overtime, UMSL outscored Lindenwood 15-11 to win the game, 80-76. The Tritons are 6-1 and 3-0 in conference play, while the Lions fell suffered their first league loss of the season and fell to 2-5 overall.
UMSL had four players score in double-figures, led by freshman Molly Ronshausen, who had 19 points and five three-point makes. Lindenwood was led by Julia Ruzevich, who had game-highs of 32 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks.
The UMSL women don’t have any home games the rest of this calendar year. The Tritons will play at Christian Brothers on December 9, and at Principia on December 18, before taking the final two weeks of December off for winter break.
UMSL’s next home game will come on January 4, when the Tritons will host Maryville.
Lindenwood’s next game is next Sunday, December 12, when the Lions will play at Wisconsin-Parkside. The Lions’ next home game is December 15, against Christian Brothers.