ST. LOUIS, MO. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team picked up its fourth straight win on Thursday night with a 78-68 win over visiting Rockhurst, while moving into sole possession of first place in the GLVC Central Division standings.
 
The Tritons entered the night in a three-way tie with Illinois Springfield and McKendree, but both teams lost.
 
Senior Arielle Jackson led the Tritons with 18 points, seven rebounds and seven assists, while freshman Alex LaPorta recorded her eighth double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
 
Records: UMSL (11-5, 5-4 GLVC), Rockhurst (8-10, 4-6 GLVC)
 
How it Happened
UMSL owned a 40-30 halftime lead after holding a 17-13 advantage at the end of the first quarter. An 11-2 start to the second frame, which was capped by nine straight points, gave the Tritons their largest lead of the half at 28-15. But Rockhurst followed with a 15-8 spurt to pull within 36-30 before UMSL got the final four points of the half on baskets from junior Arielle Jackson and freshman Alex Specht.
 
The Tritons led by 15 twice in the third quarter, including 54-39 at the 3:34 on a layup by freshman Alex LaPorta and took a 58-46 lead into the final 10 minutes.
 
A jumper in the paint by senior Jordan Fletcher with 6:20 to play made the score 65-50 in favor of UMSL, before Rockhurst would pull within 73-64 five minutes later after knocking down a pair of three-pointers in a 40-second span. However, the Hawks would get no closer.
 
Numbers of Note
- Junior Kaitlynn Henning scored 14 points, notching her fourth straight double-figure outing.
- Senior Jordan Fletcher tallied 12 points and added nine rebounds.  
- UMSL recorded 20 assists with senior Shawnta Johnson adding six.
- The Tritons shot 47.4 percent, including 54.2 percent in the second half, and owned a 43-33 rebounding advantage. Rockhurst shot 38.5 percent.
- Jackson was 8-of-10 at the free throw line.
 
Up Next
UMSL is home on Saturday, hosting Bellarmine at 1 p.m.