EVANSVILLE, IND. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team returned to Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Thursday for the first time since early December, falling short at No. 20 ranked Southern Indiana, 70-65.
 
The Screaming Eagles ended the game on a 12-3 run, while the Tritons had four of their 21 turnovers in the final 3:31.
 
Records: UMSL (7-4, 1-3 GLVC), Southern Indiana (11-1, 3-0 GLVC)
 
How it Happened
Southern Indiana held a 20-18 lead after the first quarter and used seven straight points to pull ahead, 33-26 with just over a minute to go in the second quarter before UMSL got within 33-30 at the break. Senior Shawnta Johnson knocked down a three-pointer with six seconds on the clock to help close the gap.
 
UMSL took its first lead of the game at 34-33 one minute into the second half after another three-pointer from Johnson and one of two free throws from senior Jordan Fletcher. Two more points at the charity stripe by Fletcher made it 38-35 at the 6:50 mark before junior Arielle Jackson hit a three-pointer to make it 44-44. Southern Indiana then reeled off seven straight in a 47 second span to go in front 55-41, while baskets from junior Kaitlynn Henning and freshman Alex LaPorta closed the gap to 53-50 after three quarters.
 
The Tritons continued their run into the fourth quarter with five straight, taking a 55-53 lead on Johnson's layup before Fletcher's layup midway through the final quarter gave UMSL its largest lead of the game at 62-58.
 
Senior Sammie Sproul had a three-pointer fall short with 31 seconds to play with her team down 65-64 while USI connected on 5-of-6 free throws in the final 22 seconds to help secure the win.
 
Numbers of Note
- Johnson added 15 points and six assists, while Jackson finished with 14 points as UMSL shot 38.5 percent.
- Southern Indiana connected at a 46.2 percent clip and held a 33-30 rebounding advantage. Both teams pulled down 10 offensive rebounds. LaPorta snagged eight boards.
- The game pitted the top two defensive teams in the GLVC with Southern Indiana ranking first, allowing just 51.9 points per game, and the Tritons close behind, allowing 57.2 points per game.
- Southern Indiana, which also leads the league in steals, collected 11 and scored 21 points off UMSL's miscues.
 
Up Next
UMSL returns to the court next Thursday, traveling to Illinois Springfield.