SOMERS, WIS. – Junior Jordan Fletcher scored a season-high 26 points, but it wasn't enough as the University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team saw host Wisconsin-Parkside use a strong fourth quarter to rally for a 73-70 Great Lakes Valley Conference victory.
 
The Rangers outscored the Tritons, 25-13, in the fourth quarter, to help erase a 13-point UMSL lead.
 
UMSL slips to 7-7 overall, including 2-4 in the GLVC, while Wisconsin-Parkside improves to 5-10, including 3-4 in the league.
 
Numbers of Note
-Fletcher made 6-of-11 field goals and was 14-of-18 at the free throw line – attempting the same amount the Rangers did as a team.
 
-Junior Shawnta Johnson added a season-best 14 points, while senior Chelsey Jacox followed with 12 points.
 
-The Tritons shot 38.6 percent, while UW-Parkside shot 45.9 percent and held a 42-29 rebounding advantage, including an 11-7 edge on the offensive end.
 
-Senior Robneisha Lee pulled down six rebounds, while Fletcher and Johnson had five each.
 
-Sophomore Laura Szorenyi, the Tritons' leading scorer, was held to just six points on 1-of-9 shooting, the first time she did not reach double figures this season.
 
How it Happened
UW-Parkside opened the final frame with a 13-3 run to take a 61-60 lead – its first since three minutes into the second quarter. The Tritons meanwhile, shot just 25 percent in the final 10 minutes, while committing five turnovers. The Rangers sealed the game at the free throw line, making all four attempts in the final 12 seconds. Brittany Fair scored 12 of her team-best 21 points in the fourth quarter, in which the Rangers shot 47.1 percent.
 
UMSL took a 36-30 lead into halftime behind 48.8 percent shooting and held a 17-13 lead after the opening frame.
 
The Rangers jumped out to an early 11-3 lead midway through the first quarter, but the Tritons responded with a 14-2 run. Fletcher had four of those points at the free throw line and scored all seven of her first quarter points at the charity stripe.
 
A 14-4 run late in the second quarter gave UMSL its largest lead of the half at 36-26 with 3:14 to go on a pair of Jacox free throws. Jacox scored seven points during the run.
 
UW-Parkside got within two points three minutes into the second half before seven straight by Fletcher, who was still playing after picking up her third foul, ignited a 13-0 run with Johnson scoring the final four points, for a 49-36 advantage with 5:26 on the clock. The Rangers got within five, but jumpers by Fletcher and Johnson gave UMSL a 55-48 lead after three quarters.
 
Up Next
UMSL wraps up its current three-game roadswing on Monday, traveling across town to Maryville at 5:30 p.m.