SETTING THE SCENE
• UMSL opens its 52nd season of intercollegiate play this weekend at the GLVC-GLIAC Challenge in Big Rapids, Mich. The Tritons face Grand Valley State on Friday and the host school and No. 10 ranked Ferris State on Saturday.
• This is the final year of the Challenge, which kicked off at Quincy before going to Grand Valley State and then UMSL last season.

UMSL IN SEASON OPENERS
• UMSL is 30-21 in season openers, which included a 73-61 loss to Ferris State at home last season.
• The Tritons are opening the season on the road for the fourth time in the last five years.

SIZING UP THE TRITONS
• UMSL is coming off a 93-52 exhibition win over Fontbonne last Saturday.

• The Tritons are coming off an 11-18 record, which included a 5-13 GLVC mark. UMSL earned their eighth straight GLVC Tournament bid by winning their final regular season game in a 68-48 win over Maryville.  

• The Tritons were tabbed to finish second in the GLVC Central Division.

•  Fifth-year head coach Bob Sundvold returns three seniors starters from last year's team, including Steven Davis, Elijah Watson and D.J. White. Davis was the co-team leader in scoring averaging 11.1 points per game. He also drained 88 three-pointers, one shy of the program's single season record. Watson, a member of the GLVC All-Defensive Team, averaged 10.1 points, 3.7 assists, 3.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game, while White averaged 8.2 points and 5.2 rebounds.

• The 2017-18 roster also features 11 newcomers, including six transfers and five freshmen.

IN OUR LAST OUTING
Junior transfer Johnathan Matthews led four players in double figures with 15 points, while also adding seven assists, as the Tritons defeated Fontbonne, 93-52, in a charity exhibition game last Saturday. After a slow start in which both teams struggled from the field, the Tritons outscored the Griffins, 16-5, over the final 5:30 of the first half to take a 41-25 lead into halftime.

Junior Dwayne Ward followed with 14 points and six rebounds, while junior Jason Towery added 13 points and four rebounds.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Grand Valley State is coming off a 16-13 season in 2016-17. Among the returners are seniors Myles Miller and Drake Baar. Miller led the team with 97 assists, while Baar averaged 8.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Ferris State, ranked 10th nationally in NCAA DII, is 2-0 having opened the season at the Hall of Fame Classic last weekend. The Bulldogs, coming off a 28-5 record last year in which they advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional semifinals, are led by Drew Cushingberry's 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.5 steals per game.

SERIES HISTORIES
UMSL-Grand Valley State
UMSL and Grand Valley State meet for the seventh time with the Lakers having won four of those contests, despite the Tritons taking a 56-51 verdict last year.

UMSL-Ferris State
UMSL and Ferris State meet for the fourth straight year, which marks the only four meetings between the two programs. The Tritons won the first meeting (71-70), while the Bulldogs have taken the last two (80-55, 73-61).

UP NEXT
UMSL hosts Webster on Tuesday in its home opener.