Box Score

LEBANON, ILL. – It wasn't pretty, but the University of Missouri-St. Louis women's women's basketball team managed to pick up its eighth straight win with a 69-63 victory at McKendree on Friday night in Great Lakes Valley Conference action.
 
The Tritons improve to 9-1 overall and are 2-0 in the GLVC for the first time in program history. McKendree slips to 6-4 and 1-1 in the league.
 
UMSL built a 14-point lead (57-43) with six minutes to play but saw the Bearcats pull within 64-63 with 18 seconds on the clock. Senior guard Alyssa Like, who scored a team-high 20 points, hit 4-of-4 free throws in the final nine seconds to help preserve the win.
 
The Tritons shot just 35.2 percent in the win, but owned a commanding 50-35 rebounding advantage, including a 23-7 edge on the offensive end. Senior Devonna Smith collected a season-best 16 caroms, including 10 on the offensive end. Smith added 13 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season and the 21^st of her career.
 
Senior Hazaria Washington also tallied a double-double, recording 13 points and 13 rebounds to go with three blocks and three steals. Smith also registered three blocks as the Tritons tallied eight as a team.
 
UMSL made just two of its first 13 field goals as McKendree built an early 18-8 lead midway through the first half. Like later hit the first of her two first-half three-pointers at the 6:41 mark to pull the Tritons within 22-18, capping a 10-4 run. The Bearcats answered back with four points before UMSL reeled off 12 straight en route to a 14-2 run to end the opening 20 minutes, taking a 32-28 halftime lead. The Tritons netted 6-of-10 from the field during that stretch.
 
Shooting woes continued to hamper the Tritons as they began the second half, missing their first eight attempts. However, after a Caty Ponce three-pointer with 14:48 to play pulled the Bearcats within 37-36, the Tritons scored 12 unanswered points to post a 49-36 lead with 11:17 to play with Washington scoring six of her points during that stretch.
 
After a traditional three-point play from Like with 6:02 to play gave UMSL a 57-43 lead, the Bearcats began their final rally, scoring nine unanswered to pull within 57-52 before whittling the lead to 64-63 on a Brittany Willis three-pointer.
 
McKendree shot 44.6 percent on its home court, including 50 percent in the second half, and got 20 points from Ponce, who was the lone Bearcat in double figures.
 
UMSL is back in action on Sunday at Illinois Springfield in a 1 p.m. GLVC contest.  
 
TRITON TIDBITS: With a 9-1 mark, UMSL is off to its best start since 1988-89, when that squad began 12-1… UMSL improves to 20-4 all-time against McKendree… the Tritons lead the GLVC in rebounding margin (12.0)… UMSL had a season-low eight turnovers… its eight blocks were a season-high... UMSL's eight-game win streak is the second longest current in the GLVC, trailing only Drury who is 10-0.