Box Score
ST. LOUIS, MO. – The No. 7 seed University of Missouri-St. Louis men's basketball team saw its season come to an end on Friday night with a 79-70 loss to No. 2 seed Wisconsin-Parkside in the GLVC Tournament Quarterfinals.
The Tritons end their season at 16-12, while the Rangers, who are also ranked No. 19 nationally, improve to 23-5 and will face the winner of No. 3 seed Indianapolis and No. 6 seed Bellarmine in tomorrow's semifinal.
Wisconsin-Parkside used a 10-1 run late in the game to help garner the win. After senior
Femi John hit a three-pointer to put the Tritons on top 64-61 with 5:27 to play, the Rangers scored seven straight to ignite the run, taking a 75-62 lead. Junior
Derek Shouse's three-pointer with 50 seconds on the clock made it 72-68, but the Rangers held on for the win by going 9-of-10 at the free throw line in the final 1:02.
Junior
Tylor Wimbish scored a game-high 25 points for UMSL, while seniors
Darian Cartharn and
Femi John followed with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
The Tritons owned a 30-26 halftime lead after owning a 14-point first half advantage, but UW-Parkside scored five straight to open the second half and took their first lead of the game at 31-30. After Jordan Mach netted his fifth three-pointer of the game at the 13:11 mark to put the Rangers on top 46-44, UMSL went on a 12-2 run, taking a 56-48 lead three minutes later on a bucket by senior
Shea Sumpter. However, the Rangers answered back with an 11-3 run of their own to knot it at 59-59. Later, after Colt Grandstaff tied it at 64-64 following John's three-pointer with three free throws, Jimmy Gavin gave UW-Parkside a 66-64 lead at the 4:46 they would not relinquish.
The Rangers shot 47.9 percent, including 64 percent in the second half, while UMSL shot 49.1 percent and owned a 34-26 rebounding advantage, including an 11-5 edge on the offensive end. The Tritons outscored UW-Parkside, 13-5, in second chance points. Wimbish pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
After a slow start in which both teams combined to miss their first seven shots, including five from UMSL, the Tritons made their next four to take an 8-2 lead before extending the advantage to 20-6 at the 9:11 mark. Defensively, UMSL held the Rangers without a field goal until the 14:24 mark as UW-Parkside made just one of its first nine attempts and was forced into six turnovers.
After Wimbish gave the Tritons their largest lead at 20-6, the Rangers outscored UMSL, 19-6, over the next six minutes, pulling within 26-25 at the 1:30 mark on the first of two free throws from Grandstaff.
UW-Parkside took advantage of 14 UMSL turnovers, outscoring the Tritons, 24-8, in points off turnovers. The Rangers had four players in double figures, led by Jimmy Gavin's 21 points off the bench.
