SETTING THE SCENE
UMSL steps into GLVC play for the first time this season, opening league play on the road Thursday at No. 15 ranked Drury and Saturday at Missouri S&T. The Tritons will play three conference games in early December before returning to GLVC play in the new year.

UMSL IN GLVC OPENERS
UMSL is 7-13 in GLVC openers... the Tritons are opening the league slate against Drury for the second straight year... the Panthers posted a 60-51 victory in St. Louis a year ago... this is UMSL's first GLVC opener on the road since the 2012-13 season.

GLVC PRESEASON POLL
UMSL was picked to finish fifth in the GLVC West Division by the league coaches, while Quincy was tabbed as the favorite. Drury was second, followed by Truman State and Rockhurst, in third and fourth, respectively. Maryville (sixth), William Jewell (seventh) and Missouri S&T (eighth) rounded out the poll.

In the East Division, Bellarmine was the preseason favorite, followed by UW-Parkside in second. Indianapolis and Lewis tied for third with Southern Indiana (fifth), McKendree (sixth), Illinois Springfield (seventh) and Saint Joseph's (eighth) rounding out the poll.

SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL is 4-3 overall. The Tritons are coming off a 57-51 win over Missouri Western last Saturday in their final game of the Marriott St. Louis Airport Classic, in which they hosted last weekend. UMSL lost its opening game of the weekend, a 72-46 decision to East Central.

UMSL is 1-1 in road games, having lost at NCAA DI Indiana State (96-55) and winning at NCAA DIII Webster (72-64) on the other side of St. Louis.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Junior Steven Davis scores a team-best 11.6 points per game with 77 percent of his scoring from beyond the three-point line with a team-best 21 three-pointers. That number ranks second in the GLVC and is 23rd in NCAA DII. Davis knocked down eight of those three-pointers in last week's win at Webster - coming up one long ball shy of tying the school record.

Senior Hunter Reine follows with 9.0 points and 7.9 rebounds per game, which ranks fifth in the GLVC, and is shooting 51.9 percent. Reine has also tallied two double-doubles.

UMSL ranks last in the GLVC in scoring offense with 64.1 points per game, but is second in scoring defense at 67.3 points per game. The Tritons are fifth in the league in rebounding margin (+6.4).

Six different players have been the top scorer.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Drury is off to a 5-0 start, with all five games being played at home. The Panthers are averaging 82.8 points per game and shooting a GLVC third-best 53.3 percent from the field. Four players average double figures, including junior guard Tevin Foster, who averages 15.6 points, 5.4 assists and 4.0 rebounds per game, while shooting 55.8 percent.

Missouri S&T is also off to a 5-0 start and hosts Maryville Thursday night before welcoming the Tritons on Saturday. The Miners lead the league with 97.8 points per game and are outscoring their opponents by an average of 21.6 points. Missouri S&T also leads the GLVC in rebounding margin (+10.8) and are second in three-point field goals per game (11.20). Jalen Myers averages 16.2 points per game and has a team-best 14 three-pointers, while junior guard Juwan Miller averages 11.8 points, 5.6 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.

THE SERIES
Drury leads the all-time series, 20-7, and swept the series last year, winning by a combined 14 points. The Panthers have posted seven straight wins in the series.

UMSL owns a 37-26 advantage in the series over Missouri S&T. The two teams split last year, each winning on the road by four points.
 
UP NEXT
UMSL hosts Trevecca Nazarene next Thursday at 7 p.m.