February 10, 2010

Men's Basketball Ends Four-Game Roadtrip at Rockhurst/Drury

SETTING THE SCENE
The University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team concludes a four-game roadtrip this weekend with another tall order, heading to Rockhurst on Thursday before a trip to No. 21 ranked Drury on Saturday. The Tritons are looking to snap a eight-game losing streak and stand at 10-13 on the season, including 4-10 in the GLVC, and sit in third place in the West Division standings, one game ahead of Missouri S&T.

TOUGH STRETCH
UMSL’s game at #21 ranked Drury Saturday will mark the end of a stretch in which four of five games are against ranked foes. The Tritons lost a 61-51 decision to then No. 15 ranked Drury Jan. 28 and are coming off a pair of losses last weekend, including a 59-44 setback at then No. 2 ranked Southern Indiana and a 66-30 loss at then No. 16 ranked Kentucky Wesleyan.

SCOUTING ROCKHURST
Rockhurst lost two straight road games last weekend to fall to 14-9 on the season, including 9-5 in the GLVC. Senior guard Aaron Hill owns team-bests of 20.3 points per game, including 21.6 points per game in GLVC-only contests, and 3.0 assists per game.

THE HAWKS HEAD COACH
Bill O’Connor is in his 17th season at Rockhurst, where he is 236-217.

THE SERIES
Rockhurst leads the series 17-13 and won three straight, including a 63-49 verdict earlier this season in St. Louis. The Hawks won last year’s game in Kansas City, Mo., by a score of 81-75.

EARLIER THIS YEAR
Rockhurst 63, UMSL 49 (Jan. 30, 2010 - St. Louis, Mo.)
UMSL closed out a five-game homestand with a loss to Rockhurst. The visiting Hawks took a 27-20 lead into intermission built a 10-point lead one minute into the second half at 30-20 before UMSL used a 12-6 run to trim the deficit to 36-32 on Zach Redel lay-in, but the Hawks would again go up nine (47-38) with 9:25 to play. The Tritons fought back to within five twice, but would get no closer.

SCOUTING DRURY
Drury enters a Thursday home contest against Maryville with an 18-5 record, including an 11-3 mark in the GLVC and lead the West Division standings. As a team, the Panthers average 83.8 points per game and are shooting 48.3 percent from the field. Freshman guard Alex Hall averages a team-best 18.3 points per game, while three other players average double figures, including junior guard Chase Elliott, who adds 13.3 points per game.

THE PANTHERS HEAD COACH
Steve Hesser is in his sixth year at the helm at Drury, where he has put together a 118- 50 record.

THE SERIES
Drury owns a 10-4 record against UMSL, which includes a 61-51 win earlier this season in St. Louis. The Tritons won last year’s meeting in Springfield, 80-65, which snapped an eight-game losing skid to the Panthers.

EARLIER THIS YEAR
Drury 61, UMSL 51 (Jan. 28, 2010 - St. Louis, Mo.)
Drury hit 6-of-7 free throws in the final three minutes to help record the win and went to the charity strip 27 times in the contest, converting 19. Despite the loss, the Tritons shot 43.8 percent from the field, including a 52.4 percent outing in the first half, and held a 35-23 rebounding advantage, including a 9-4 edge on the offensive end, but turned the ball over 16 times. Senior Adam Kaatman connected on 6-of-10 field goals to finish with a game-high 14 points for UMSL.

BACK WHERE I COME FROM
UMSL assistant coach Steven Gum is no stranger to the Drury men’s basketball program as Gum recently completed a four-year stellar career with the Panthers, playing from 2004-08. He earned third team all-Great Lakes Valley Conference honors as a senior after leading the league in three-point field goal percentage (49.4 percent), which also ranked fifth nationally in NCAA Division II. He was second on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game and also held averages of 2.97 assists and 1.32 steals per game. He ranks second all-time at Drury with 277 three-pointers made during his career and twice set a school record for eight three-pointers in a game.

HEAD COACH CHRIS PILZ
Chris Pilz is in his seventh season as head coach of the UMSL men’s basketball program where he holds a 75-111 record.

LAST TIME OUT
Then No. 16 ranked Kentucky Wesleyan dealt UMSL a 66-30 loss last Saturday as the Tritons finished with just eight field goals and a 25.8 shooting percentage. UMSL was led by freshman Nicolai Oestbye’s eight points.

UP NEXT
UMSL closes out the regular season next weekend at home, hosting Missouri S&T Thursday night and Maryville on Saturday.
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