ST. LOUIS, MO. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis men's basketball team scored the final five points of the game en route to claiming a 66-62 win at crosstown rival Maryville on Saturday afternoon in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
 
Senior Joseph English scored his only two points off the day with the eventual game-winner on a lay in following an offensive rebound for a 63-62 lead with 1:19 to play. The Saints missed shots on two following possessions and turned the ball over under their own basket with 1.9 seconds on the clock, trailing 65-62, following a pair of free throws from junior Elijah Watson.
 
UMSL improves to 7-4, including 2-1 in the GLVC, while Maryville slips to 3-9 and 0-3 in the league.
 
The Tritons, which led for a majority of the contest, including 55-48 with 6:26 to play, saw the Saints follow with a 9-3 run to take their first lead since 15:44 in the first half at 60-59 with 2:30 remaining. Both teams followed with a pair of free throws, including two from senior Hunter Reine, before English's lay-in for a lead UMSL would not relinquish.
 
Watson led the Tritons with 18 points, while junior D.J. White picked up his second double-double, recording 16 points and 10 rebounds.
 
UMSL shot 42.6 percent, while Maryville connected at a 50 percent clip and held a 32-31 rebounding edge. The Tritons, however, grabbed 12 offensive boards and outscored the Saints, 14-8, in second chance points. UMSL also capitalized on 17 Maryville turnovers, scoring 21 points off the miscues.
 
The Tritons shot 52 percent in the first half, including 5-of-12 from three-point range, but was just 1-of-10 from beyond the arc in the final 20 minutes, in which they shot 34.5 percent.
 
The Tritons missed their first three shots, but made six of their next seven, including three three-pointers, to take an early 18-10 lead on junior Max Cook's long ball at the 12:01 mark. After the Saints pulled within 20-17, UMSL followed with a 10-4 run and took its largest lead of the game at 30-21 on freshman Kobe Wands' three-point bucket with 3:26 to go. Maryville closed the opening frame with a 10-4 run over the final two minutes to trim the deficit to 34-29 at the break which ended on a layup from Watson.
 
Reine added eight rebounds, while English dished out four assists.
 
UMSL is idle until Monday, Dec. 19 for final exams when they travel to Nashville, Tenn., to face Trevecca Nazarene.