SETTING THE SCENE
With final exams in the rearview mirror by the week's end, UMSL will turn its attention back to basketball with two of its final three non-conference games of the year in the coming days. The Tritons travel to Culver-Stockton on Saturday and visit Oakland City on Tuesday. UMSL will then have seven days off the NCAA Division II's mandatory winter break.
 
SIZING UP THE TRITONS
UMSL has been idle since Thursday, Dec. 7, when they defeated William Jewell for its first conference win and to improve to 4-3 overall. The Tritons are 1-2 on the road and 3-1 in non-conference games.
 
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
• Four players are averaging double figures, led by junior Arielle Jackson's 13.4 points per game. She also leads the team with 1.7 steals per game and is second with 17 three-pointers made.
 
• Senior Shawnta Johnson follows with 11.6 points per game to go with 6.3 rebounds and a team-best 3.1 assists per game. Johnson, who has reached double figures in all but one game, averaged just 6.7 points per game a year ago.
 
• Senior Sammie Sproul adds 10.4 points per game and has a team-high 19 three-pointers, while shooting 50 percent from beyond the arc. Sproul, who started all 28 games a year ago, averaged just 4.4 points and finished with 26 three-pointers on the season. She ranks second in the GLVC and ranks seventh nationally in NCAA DII in three-point shooting percentage.
 
• Freshman Alex LaPorta chips in 10.1 points and 10.7 rebounds per game and has collected five double-doubles – a GLVC-best that also ranks 17^th nationally. She leads the GLVC in rebounds per game and ranks 18^th in NCAA DII.
 
• As a team, UMSL leads the GLVC in offensive rebounds per game (16.0) and is second in three-point shooting percentage (.371), rebounding margin (+6.0).
 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Culver-Stockton, a member of the NAIA, is 6-5 overall, but will play Saturday's game as an exhibition. The Wildcats, which are 4-1 at home, are led by sophomore guard Courteney Sailor's 9.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. CSC's fifth-year head coach Janette Burgin played at Quincy, where she finished her career with 1,301 points.
 
Oakland City will play two games before hosting the Tritons and enter those contests with a 2-5 record. Three players average double figures, including Alicia Wilson (18.5 ppg). Wilson also averages 3.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 steals per game, leads the team in three-pointers (15) and free throws (30-of-35, .857).
 
SERIES HISTORIES
UMSL is 6-5 all-time against Culver-Stockton although the two teams have not met since the 2013-14 season when UMSL earned an 87-33 victory in St. Louis.
 
The Tritons are 8-2 against Oakland City and lost the last meeting, a 74-66 road decision during the 2008-09 season.
 
LOOKING AHEAD
Following the NCAA's winter break, UMSL will host crosstown foe Lindenwood on December 31 in its final non-conference game of the season. GLVC play then resumes January 4 at Southern Indiana.