Box Score

ST. LOUIS, MO. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team used a stellar defensive effort to post a 69-35 win over crosstown rival Maryville on Saturday afternoon in the Great Lakes Valley Conference opener for both teams.
 
The Tritons limited the Saints to just eight second half points and 21.1 percent shooting in the game. Maryville was 2-of-24 (8.3 percent) in the final 20 minutes of play.
 
UMSL improves to 5-1 overall with its fourth straight win, while opening the GLVC slate with a 1-0 mark. Maryville slips to 4-4 and 0-1 in the league.
 
The Tritons opened the second half by outscoring the Saints 20-3 to widen a 32-27 halftime advantage and scored 16 unanswered points during that stretch. Maryville netted a field goal at 18:41, pulling within 34-29, but wouldn't net its other field goal until the 9:07 mark.
 
Senior Devonna Smith scored a game-high 16 points, while senior Jessica Zavoral followed with 13 points. Senior Alyssa Like chipped in 11 points and pulled down 12 rebounds.
 
UMSL, which shot 42.9 percent from the field, held a 46-32 rebounding advantage and outscored the Saints, 17-7, on second chance points.
 
Zavoral dished out four assists, while freshman Sydney Bloch recorded two steals.
 
The Tritons jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the contest, while Maryville missed its first six shots before netting its first field goal at the 16:43 mark. UMSL later took its largest lead of the half at 15-7 on a jumper by senior Hazaria Washington at the 13:03 mark. A layup by Smith made it 21-13 with 10:05 to play before the Saints used a 12-5 run to pull within 26-25 with 4:28 on the clock. However, the Tritons finished 8-of-8 at the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes and took a 32-27 lead into the break.
 
UMSL returns is idle for final exams until Wednesday, Dec. 18 when they host Culver-Stockton at 5 p.m.
 
TRITON TIDBITS: UMSL snapped a five-game losing skid to the Saints and improves to 8-6 all-time against Maryville… the Tritons won a GLVC opener for the first time since the 2005-06 season… UMSL is now 4-0 at home… the 5-1 start is the program's best since the 2005-06 team began the year 5-0… UMSL went 17-of-19 at the free throw line, moving its season average to 81.3 (the Tritons entered the game second in the GLVC and 10^th nationally at 79.6 percent)… Maryville was picked to finish second in the GLVC West Division Preseason Coaches Poll, while UMSL was tabbed seventh.