SETTING THE SCENE
UMSL will play its final five regular season games on the road, beginning Thursday at No. 13 ranked Bellarmine. The Tritons then wrap up weekend play at Southern Indiana on Saturday.
 
SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL has won four straight, improving to 10-12 overall, including 4-9 in the GLVC and has pushed itself up to a tie for fifth place in the West Division standings with Missouri S&T. Overall in the league race, the Tritons are in a four-way tie for 10^th place with the top 12 teams earning a spot in the GLVC Tournament. After starting out conference play with nine straight losses, including six by five or fewer points, UMSL has won four in a row, including its last two by four or fewer points.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Senior Brandon Marquardt averages a team-best 14.2 points per game and leads the GLVC with 70 three-pointers, which ranks fifth on the UMSL single season charts and is 14 away from equaling the single-season record. In two years with the Tritons, Marquardt has 124 three-points (tied for ninth) and is shooting a program-best 47.1 percent.
 
Redshirt freshman Joshua Webster adds 10.4 points per game and also averages 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.0 steals per game, while shooting 52.7 percent from the field. He has scored in double figures in four straight games.
 
Junior Hunter Reine had a five-game streak of double figure scoring snapped in last Saturday's win over Illinois Springfield, but in those five games averaged 17.0 points and 10.4 rebounds per game.
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Bellarmine, ranked 13 in NCAA DII, is 18-4 overall, including 11-2 in the GLVC East Division, where it sits in a three-way tie for first with Indianapolis and Wisconsin-Parkside. The Knights are outscoring their GLVC foes by an average of 17.2 points per game, shooting 54 percent, while limiting opponents to 37.3 percent. Three players average double figures, including Rusty Troutman (18.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg), Yasin Kolo (11.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and George Suggs (10.9 ppg, 3.8 apg). Bellarmine is 13-0 at home this season, including 7-0 in GLVC games.
 
Southern Indiana enters a Thursday home game against Maryville at 15-8 overall, including 7-6 in the GLVC East Division. The Screaming Eagles, 9-3 at home, have four players scoring in double figures, led by Jeril Taylor's team-highs of 16.3 points and 7.1 rebounds per game. USI owns a rebounding margin of +7.5 and averages 12.91 offensive rebounds per game.
 
SERIES HISTORIES
UMSL is 11-9 all-time against Bellarmine and has lost four of the last five meetings, including an 88-78 setback in St. Louis last year.
 
Southern Indiana holds a 34-11 advantage in the all-time series and has won 12 straight, including a 76-69 victory in St. Louis last year. The Tritons last defeated the Screaming Eagles during the 2005-06 season.
 
UP NEXT
UMSL travels to Missouri S&T and Drury next Thursday and Saturday, respectively.