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SETTING THE SCENE
UMSL puts its three-game win streak on the line Thursday when the Tritons host Drury in the GLVC opener. UMSL will also entertain Missouri S&T on Saturday as they continue its current seven-game homestand.

UMSL IN GLVC OPENERS
UMSL is 7-12 in GLVC openers and defeated Illinois Springfield, 71-45, last year in the league lid lifter at home. This marks the third straight year and the fifth time in the last 10 years that the Tritons are tipping off the GLVC schedule at home.

GLVC PRESEASON POLL
UMSL was picked to finish fourth in the GLVC West Division Preseason Coaches Poll, while defending GLVC champion Drury was the favorite. Truman State was second, while Quincy was third. Maryville (fifth), William Jewell (sixth), Missouri S&T (seventh) and Rockhurst (eighth) rounded out the poll.

In the East Division, Bellarmine was the preseason favorite, followed by Indianapolis and Southern Indiana in second and third respectively, followed by Lewis (fourth), Wisconsin-Parkside (fifth), Illinois Springfield (sixth), McKendree (seventh) and Saint Joseph's (eighth).

SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL has been idle since a 74-58 win over Webster last Tuesday which improved the Tritons' record to 3-2. UMSL is averaging a league-low 66.0 points per game on offense, but  have upped that to 72.7 points per game in its last three outings. Junior Joseph English and senior Brandon Marquardt each average 11.0 points per game. The Tritons have had a different leading scorer in each of their five games.

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
UMSL leads the GLVC in scoring defense, allowing just 64.4 points per game and tops the league in three-point field goal percentage defense (.276) and is second in field goal percentage defense (.411).

FROM THREE-POINT RANGE
UMSL is averaging 8.4 three-point field goals per game, shooting 44.6 percent from beyond the arc, which ranks second in the GLVC. Senior Cortez Conners has netted nine of 14 attempts (.643), while Brandon Marquardt has a team-best 16 three-pointers and is shooting 57.1 percent.

The Tritons were a three-point shooting threat a year ago, draining a single season record 249 long balls, while shooting 39.8 percent from beyond the arc.

MORE ON MARQUARDT FROM THREE
Senior Brandon Marquardt drained a career-best five three-pointers against Webster last Tuesday, bettering his previous high of four, which he had done six times. Marquardt has 70 three-pointers in two seasons at UMSL and is shooting 47.9 percent from beyond the arc, which currently ranks first on the career charts.

TRITON TIDBITS
- Junior Alex Majewski has emerged as the Tritons' top rebounder, averaging 6.0 rebounds per game. He averaged just 2.5 boards last season.
- Junior Joseph English has reached double figures in scoring in the last four games.
- UMSL ranks third in the GLVC in assist-turnover ratio (1.31). Freshman Joshua Webster is second individually at 4.00 with a team-best 16 assists to four turnovers.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Drury has lost two straight, dropping its record to 2-2. Ranked fifth in last week's NABC Top 25, the Panthers lost a pair of games at home, falling to Cameron, 72-70, on a last second shot and to unbeaten Union, 75-54. Kameron Bundy is fifth in the GLVC in scoring with 20.0 points per game, while Tevin Foster adds 18.4 points per game.

Missouri S&T enters a Thursday home contest against Maryville with a 1-5 record, having lost three straight. BJ McLaughlin averages 11.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game, while Zach Ellis adds 10.6 points per contest. The Miners are shooting just 36.5 percent from the field, while opponents are knocking down shots at a 50 percent clip.

SERIES HISTORIES
Drury holds an 18-7 advantage in the all-time series and held off the Tritons twice in overtime last year. The Panthers erased a 22-point second half deficit en route to an 80-75 win in St. Louis during the regular season and then lost a 70-65 decision in the GLVC Championship Quarterfinals in St. Charles after owning a seven-point lead with 2:39 to play in regulation.

UP NEXT
UMSL will host Robert Morris-Springfield on Tuesday at 7 p.m.