at Bellarmine: LIVE STATS | AUDIO | VIDEO
at Southern Indiana: LIVE STATS | AUDIO | VIDEO

SETTING THE SCENE
UMSL begins the final stretch of the regular season by playing four of its final five games on the road. The Tritons start that span with a three-game road swing, beginning at Bellarmine on Thursday night. UMSL then plays its fourth ranked team of the season, and its second in the last three games, when it travels to No. 22 ranked Southern Indiana on Saturday.

SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL had a three-game win streak snapped with a 79-58 loss to then No. 8 Indianapolis last Saturday. The Tritons stand at 13-8 overall, including 7-6 in the GLVC and are in third place in the West Division standings, three games behind Truman State and a game and a game and a half ahead of Maryville. Junior Tylor Wimbish leads the Tritons with 13.7 points and 5.1 rebounds per game and is shooting 61.3 percent from the field. He has scored in double figures in eight straight games and is connecting at a 67 percent clip from the field during that stretch. Senior Femi John adds 13.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Bellarmine is 16-5 overall, including 8-5 in the GLVC, and sits in fifth place in the East Division standings. The Knights are coming off a 92-90 loss at Truman State last Saturday in their last outing, but are 10-2 at home this season with losses to then No. 10 Southern Indiana (68-66 OT) and then No. 14 Indianapolis (81-79). Keisten Jones leads three players in double figure scoring with 16.1 points per game, while Jake Thelen follows with 15.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per game, while shooting 74.9 percent from the field. Bellarmine is averaging 83 points per game as a team in GLVC-only games.

Southern Indiana enters a Thursday home game against Maryville with a 17-4 record, including a 9-4 GLVC mark. The Screaming Eagles are 10-1 at home, with their lone loss coming to then No. 3 ranked and defending national champion Drury, 64-56. Aaron Nelson averages 19.8 points, 13.0 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.5 blocks per game. The Screaming Eagles are one of the top GLVC teams on defense, holding opponents to just 40.8 percent field goal percentage shooting and 70.5 points per game - both of which are tops in league-only games.  

THE SERIES
Bellarmine owns a 17-11 advantage all-time, but the Tritons won last year's meeting, defeating the then No. 4 ranked Knights, 87-82, in double overtime in St. Louis. UMSL and Bellarmine have gone to overtime in six different meetings with both teams having won three of those games.

Southern Indiana is 32-11 all-time against the Tritons and has won 10 straight meetings, including a 66-54 decision last year in Evansville, Ind. UMSL has not defeated the Screaming Eagles in Evansville since the 1988-89 season.

UMSL AGAINST RANKED TEAMS THIS SEASON
Saturday's game against Southern Indiana will be the fourth contest this season against a team in the Top 25. The Tritons lost their previous three, including a 75-72 loss to then No. 17 Lewis on Jan. 18, a 76-73 loss to then No. 5 Drury on Jan. 23 and a 79-58 setback to then No. 8 Indianapolis last Saturday.

TRITON TRENDS
... junior Tylor Wimbish ranks 22nd nationally in field goal percentage shooting (61.3 percent).
... senior Femi John recorded his second double-double of the season with 18 points and 10 rebounds in the Tritons' loss to UIndy.
... senior Michael Weber last missed a free throw on Jan. 9 in a loss to Wisconsin-Parkside. He's only gone to the line eight times since that contest, but has converted all eight tries. He leads the team at 85.4 percent on the season from the charity stripe.
... UMSL is shooting just 66.5 percent from the free throw line in GLVC only games, which ranks last.

LOOKING AHEAD
UMSL wraps up a three-game road swing at Quincy next Thursday and will host Truman State next Saturday night in the regular season home finale.