Box Score

ST. LOUIS, MO. – Sophomore Kelly Kunkel came off the bench to record 13 points and nine rebounds, helping the No. 5 seed University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team to a 73-41 victory over No. 12 seed Rockhurst on Sunday afternoon in one of four GLVC Tournament First Round games.
 
With the win, the Tritons advance to the GLVC Tournament Quarterfinals at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind., where they will face No. 4 seed Indianapolis on Thursday at 12 p.m. The Tritons defeated the then No. 19 ranked Greyhounds, 85-64, on February 8 in St. Louis.
 
UMSL also improves its ledger to 21-6 on the season, one win shy of the program record of 22, set in 1980-81. Rockhurst, which was playing its program's first-ever GLVC Tournament game, ends its campaign with a 9-18 record.
 
Junior Tierra Snow added 14 points off the bench for the Tritons, while senior Devonna Smith and junior Alexis Lawrence also had 14 points each.
 
The Tritons shot an even 50 percent in the game and recorded 19 assists on 27 field goals. Junior Kelly McGovern dished out eight assists and also collected two steals.
 
Senior Alyssa Like pulled down eight rebounds as UMSL owned a 45-29 rebounding advantage, including a 14-13 edge on the offensive end and outscored the Hawks, 13-2, in second chance points. Rockhurst committed 12 turnovers, but the Tritons were able to capitalize on the miscues, owning a 16-8 edge in points off turnovers.
 
After a slow start in which UMSL was just 2-of-8 from the field, the Tritons hit six of their next seven during a 12-2 run, turning a 6-6 tie into an 18-8 advantage with 7:50 to play. Smith scored six points during that stretch. UMSL took a 29-16 lead into halftime and stretched the advantage to 19 points five minutes into the second half with a 12-2 start.
 
Rockhurst, which entered the game with the lowest field goal shooting percentage in the league, was held to 26.7 percent shooting and went 0-for-7 from three-point range. Taylor Skala was the top scorer with eight points.
 
TRITON TIDBITS: UMSL was hosting its first-ever GLVC Tournament game… the Tritons improve to 4-8 in GLVC Tournament games, collecting their first win wins 2009-10… UMSL improves to 15-7 all-time against Rockhurst and has won seven straight, including a 60-57 victory earlier this season in St. Louis… UMSL finishes the 2013-14 season with a 13-2 record at home and won its seventh straight today… senior Devonna Smith is nine points shy of recording her 1,000^th career… UMSL held a team without a three-pointer for the second time this season (at Bellarmine, Feb. 13)… the Tritons lead the GLVC in three-point field goal percentage defense at 28.5 percent.