SPRINGFIELD, ILL. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis men's basketball team lost a 61-59 decision at Illinois Springfield Thursday night in Great Lakes Valley Conference action.
 
Records: UMSL (7-7, 2-3 GLVC), Illinois Springfield (11-4, 3-2 GLVC)
 
How it Happened
UMSL owned a 26-24 halftime lead, shooting 45 percent in the opening frame and overcame nine turnovers and an 11-2 offensive rebounding deficit by limiting UIS to 22.6 percent shooting.
 
However, the Prairie Stars would connect on six of their first nine field goals to open the second half, using a 14-2 run to take a 38-28 lead, while UMSL made just one of its first seven shot attempts. The Tritons then followed with a 12-4 spurt and got within 42-40 on a three-point bucket by freshman Anthony Hughes with 10:23 to play.  
 
A jumper from junior Johnathan Matthews got the Tritons within 59-56 with seven seconds to go after UIS went just 1-of-5 at the free throw line on two previous possessions. Logan Gance helped seal the game for his team with two free throws a second later, while Hughes' three-pointer accounted for the final score.
 
Numbers of Note
- Hughes led UMSL with 11 points, while fellow freshman Jose Grubbs added high nine points as 10 different players got in the scoring column.
- Grubbs pulled down seven rebounds, while junior Eric Dust led with eight boards, to help the Tritons to a 40-38 advantage. UIS held a 14-9 edge on the offensive end, although UMSL outscored the Prairie Stars, 16-11, in second chance points.
- UMSL shot 44.2 percent, while UIS finished at 33.9 percent, connecting at a 45 percent clip in the final 20 minutes.
- The Tritons 14 turnovers led to 18 Prairie Star points, while the home team only had six turnovers.
 
Triton Tidbits
UMSL is now 9-3 all-time against Illinois Springfield and had a six game win streak snapped… UMSL won the last two meetings by one point.
 
Up Next
UMSL returns to the court on Saturday, hosting McKendree at 3 p.m.