The UMSL Tritons celebrate their huge win over No. 4 Drury, Friday night at the Mark Twain Building in St. Louis. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drury | 18 | 15 | 11 | 21 | 65 |
| UMSL | 13 | 22 | 14 | 26 | 75 |
by Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
The University of Missouri-St. Louis women’s basketball team picked up its biggest win of the season, Friday night, when it knocked off the No. 4-ranked team in the country, Drury University, 75-65, in a key Great Lakes Valley Conference game played at UMSL’s Mark Twain Building in St. Louis.
The Tritons saved one of their best shooting nights of the season for when they really needed it, as they made 56.8 percent of their shots (25-44), including five-of-11 from three-point land, on their way to taking down a Drury team that had won 17 of its previous 18 games.
The victory allowed UMSL, which is now 15-2 on the season and 11-1 in GLVC play, to take over first place in the GLVC Central Division. The Tritons were tied with Truman State for first place, but were able to take a half-game lead over the Lady Bulldogs, thanks to Friday night’s win.
Sophomore standouts Faye Meissner and Kiara Stewart were the key figures for UMSL. The duo each scored a game-high 19 points.
Meissner did it by knocking down six-of-seven shots, including three-of-four three-point attempts, and Stewart had a perfect night shooting the ball. She was eight-for-eight from the floor and three-for-three from the free-throw line, while also adding in a game-high nine rebounds.
Teammate Alex LaPorta added 14 points and seven assists, while freshman Jalysa Stokes came off the bench to score 10 points, grab five rebounds, and register a game-high four steals.
Drury (21-3, 11-2) actually had the lead early, but UMSL used a sensational second quarter, where it outscored the Panthers 22-15 to take a 35-33 halftime lead.
Despite a turnover filled third quarter for both teams, the Tritons were able to increase their lead to 49-44 heading into the fourth quarter.
The Panthers made a run, as one might expect a top 5 team would, to pull to within a point midway through the fourth quarter. But the Tritons responded with a 12-1 run over the next four minutes to go ahead 66-54 with just over a minute left in the game.
From the point on, Drury tried to score quickly and then foul, hoping that would allow them to get back into the game. But UMSL came through as it needed in the clutch, by making seven of its final eight free throw attempts to get the Panthers at bay and allow themselves to walk off with what was by far its biggest win of the season.
“We talked about the organic play we would have to have in order to beat this team,” UMSL head coach Katie Vaughn said. “They [Drury] are very run and jump and take you out of everything you want to do, and if you don’t have the players to make plays, that is where they get you. I knew we just had to settle in.”
UMSL will be back in action on Saturday, when it hosts Southwest Baptist at the Mark Twain Building. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m., and will be followed by a game between the two schools’ men’s teams at 6 p.m.
The Tritons will follow that game with another important contest on Monday, when they will host Maryville University at 5:30 p.m.
Drury 65
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 40 | Alana Findley | * | 29 | 7-11 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 16 |
| 00 | Terrion Moore | * | 33 | 3-9 | 0-0 | 6-8 | 1-4 | 5 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 12 |
| 10 | Allie Clevenger | * | 27 | 3-7 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 |
| 02 | Kaylee DaMitz | * | 33 | 3-10 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 2 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| 32 | Mia Henderson | * | 28 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 21 | Payton Richards | 19 | 4-6 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |
| 23 | Azia Lynch | 8 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 01 | Anna Hitt | 11 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 03 | Katie Kirkhart | 10 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 11 | Bella Sparaco | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | – | 200 | 23-52 | 5-9 | 14-19 | 5-9 | 14 | 26 | 9 | 16 | 1 | 10 | 65 |
UMSL 75
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Kiara Stewart | * | 37 | 8-8 | 0-0 | 3-3 | 5-4 | 9 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| 23 | Faye Meissner | * | 28 | 6-7 | 3-4 | 4-5 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 11 | Alex LaPorta | * | 31 | 3-9 | 0-1 | 8-8 | 0-3 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| 10 | Mallory Ronshausen | * | 29 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 20 | Danielle Berry | * | 24 | 2-3 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 5 |
| 04 | Jalysa Stokes | 32 | 4-9 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-4 | 5 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 10 | |
| 22 | Shania Liburd | 17 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |
| 44 | Taylor Thompson | 2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TOTALS | – | 200 | 25-44 | 5-11 | 20-22 | 7-18 | 25 | 15 | 11 | 22 | 2 | 11 | 75 |
| UMSL Tritons Women’s Basketball Remaining Schedule |
| Sat., February 5 — vs. Southwest Baptist — 4 pm |
| Mon., February 7 — vs. Rockhurst — 4 pm |
| Thu., February 10 — at Maryville — 5:30 pm |
| Sat., February 12 — at Missouri S&T — 1 pm |
| Tue., February 15 — at Lewis — 4:30 pm |
| Sat., February 19 — vs. Lindenwood — 1 pm |
| Thu., February 24 — vs. Southern Indiana — 5:30 pm |
| Sat., February 26 — vs. McKendree — 1 pm |
| March 3-6 — 2022 GLVC Tournament in Edwardsville, IL |
| All UMSL home basketball games will be played at the Mark Twain Building. |