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SETTING THE SCENE
The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team looks to continue its win streak when it hosts Maryville on Wednesday in the Great Lakes Valley Conference opener.
UMSL IN GLVC OPENERS
UMSL is 1-14 in GLVC openers. The Tritons are opening league play at home for just the second time in the last seven years. UMSL suffered a 100-69 loss in its league lid-lifter last season at Drury.
THE SERIES
UMSL is 7-4 all-time against the Saints, with three of those losses coming last season. The Saints posted regular season wins of 77-69 and 75-59 and defeated the Tritons, 75-61, in the first round of the GLVC Tournament.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Maryville, the defending GLVC champions, entered a Tuesday night home contest against Principia with a 2-3 record. The Saints return their top 11 players from a squad that posted a 19-12 overall mark, including 11-7 in the league, last year. Senior forward Abby Duethman averages 15 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, while last year's GLVC Freshman of the Year and GLVC Tournament MVP Shelby Miller has hit 11 3-pointers and is averaging 10.6 points per game.
AN UMSL WIN AGAINST MARYVILLE WOULD...
... snap a three-game losing skid to the Saints.
... give the Tritons a GLVC opening win for the first time since the 2005-06 season (UMSL defeated Kentucky Wesleyan, 64-56).
... move the Tritons to 3-0 at home.
... improve the Tritons to 4-1 - their best start since the 2005-06 team began the year 5-0.
SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL won its second straight, while improving to 3-1, with a 67-62 win at Lindenwood on Saturday. The Tritons are led by junior Hazaria Washington's 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
GLVC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Junior Hazaria Washington was named the GLVC Player of the Week this week for her efforts in last week's wins over Missouri Baptist and Lindenwood, becoming the first women's basketball player in program history to earn this honor. Washington averaged 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 3.0 steals, and 2.5 blocks per game in the two victories, while shooting 40 percent from the field after playing 33.5 minutes per game.
DOUBLE VISION
Junior Hazaria Washington has three double-doubles this season - all coming in the first three games of the season.
ON THE OFFENSIVE
Of its 153 rebounds this season, 67 have come on the offensive end, which ranks second in the GLVC. Junior Hazaria Washington leads the league in that category, averaging 5.8 offensive rebounds per game.
BASKETBALL THIEVES
UMSL ranks second in the GLVC in steals, averaging 14.3 per game. The Tritons have tallied double digit thefts in each game this season.
Junior Kelly McGovern has 13 steals through three games, an average of 3.3 per game, which leads the GLVC.
GLVC PRESEASON POLL RELEASED
UMSL has been picked to finish sixth in the West Division of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Preseason Poll, as determined by the league's head coaches. Drury earned 115 points and 10 first-place votes, and was picked to win the West Division. Defending GLVC Champion Maryville has been picked to finish second in the West earning 108 points, including five first-place votes. Quincy collected the final first-place vote and was picked to finish third with 88 points, while Missouri S&T (79) edged out William Jewell (58) for fifth place. UMSL (47) placed sixth, followed by Illinois Springfield (41) and Rockhurst (32).
Indianapolis was the unanimous choice in the East with 115 points, followed by UW-Parkside finishing second with 91 points. Kentucky Wesleyan came in third with 86 points. Bellarmine followed in fourth place with 81 points, while Lewis and Southern Indiana tied for fifth with 60 points. Saint Joseph's received 50 points to finish seventh, trailed by newcomer McKendree with 25 points to round out the poll.
UP NEXT
UMSL is idle until Monday, Dec. 17 when the Tritons travel to Lincoln.
