UMSL vs. Culver Stockton:  LIVE STATS | VIDEO | AUDIO
UMSL at Kentucky Wesleyan: LIVE STATS | AUDIO
UMSL vs. Davis & Elkins: LIVE STATS

SETTING THE SCENE
The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team will close out the nonconference season this week with three games. The Tritons host Culver Stockton on Wednesday before traveling to Ownesboro, Ky., for the Fairfield Inn Christmas Classic hosted by former Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Kentucky Wesleyan. UMSL will face the host Panthers on Saturday night before closing out 2013 on Sunday against Davis & Elkins.

OFF TO A GOOD START
UMSL's current record of 5-1 marks the program's best start since the 2005-06 team also began the year 5-1. A win over Culver Stockton would give the program just its fifth-ever 6-1 start.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Culver Stockton, a member of the NAIA, is 3-7 and has lost three straight. The Wildcats have been idle since a 92-61 loss to MidAmerica Nazarene on December 7. Randi Lee Plunkett is the lone player averaging double figures and is scoring 10.5 points per game to go with 4.5 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. The Wildcats are averaging 58.7 points per game as a team, while shooting 33.1 percent from the field.

Kentucky Wesleyan enters a Wednesday night game at Carson Newman with a 6-2 record.  The Panthers have a balanced scoring attack with five players averaging double figures including Shelbi Tyra (12.6 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.6 apg), Jordanne Gambill (12.6 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 1.6 apg) and Karly Rhoads (12.5 ppg, 4.0 apg). KWC has played three former GLVC opponents, defeating McKendree, 88-68, and falling to Saint Joseph's, 77-69, and Southern Indiana, 83-64.

Davis & Elkins will face McKendree on Saturday night in its first game of the tournament. The Senators enter that contest with a 2-7 record, having snapped a five-game losing streak with a 76-72 win over Ursuline last Saturday. Stephanie Wooten is the lone player to average double figures, scoring 12.9 points per game.

SERIES HISTORIES
UMSL and Culver Stockton meet for the 11th time with the series tied at 5-5. The Tritons defeated the Wildcats, 78-61, last season.

UMSL is 13-14 all-time against Kentucky Wesleyan. The Panthers have won four straight in the series, including last year's meeting, an 82-64 decision in Owensboro.

UMSL and Davis & Elkins will meet for the first time.

LAST TIME OUT
UMSL improved to 5-1 with a 69-35 win over Maryville on December 7 in the GLVC opener. The Tritons held the Saints to eight second half points and 21 percent shooting in the contest.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
UMSL is holding opponents to just 50.7 points per game, which leads the GLVC and is second nationally in NCAA Division II. The Tritons have held two opponents to under 40 points this season, including Maryville (35) and Harris-Stowe (36). Additionally, opponents are shooting just 16.7 percent from beyond the three-point line, which ranks second nationally.

FREE THROW ACCURACY
UMSL is taking advantage of its trip to the free throw line, connecting on 81.3 percent of its attempts, which leads the GLVC and is third in NCAA Division II. Individually, senior Hazaria Washington has made 19-of-21 attempts (90.5 percent), while senior Alyssa Like is 14-for-15 (93.3 percent).

BIG THINGS COME IN LITTLE PACKAGES
Senior Alyssa Like may stand at 5-7, but is one of the Tritons' top rebounders, averaging a team second-best 7.0 caroms per game. She is coming off a season-best 12 rebounds against Maryville.

LAWRENCE FOR THREE
Junior Alexis Lawrence leads the team with nine three-pointers and has made at least one in every game this season. She drained a team-high 38 three-pointers last year.

TEAM REBOUND
The Tritons rank seventh nationally with a rebounding margin of 13.2.

LOOKING AHEAD
UMSL opens the New Year at McKendree on January 3 as GLVC play resumes.