ST. LOUIS, MO. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis men's basketball team fended off Webster on Monday night to secure a 65-60 win in its home opener.
The Tritons, who also opened a 12-game homestand, overcame 19 turnovers and 14.3 percent (2-of-14) three-point shooting to improve to 3-0.
Records: UMSL (3-0), Webster (1-0*)
* game was being played as an exhibition for Webster and does not count against their record
How it Happened
After trailing by nine early in the first half, the Tritons erased that deficit by closing the opening frame with a 21-6 run to take a 35-26 lead into the half.
Webster netted five of its first six field goals en route to a quick 13-4 lead six minutes in, while UMSL started slow, going 2-of-5 with three turnovers during that stretch. The Tritons battled back to shoot 60 percent in the first 20 minutes.
UMSL took its largest lead of 13 points twice in the first 3:30 of the second half. Then with the Tritons leading 50-39 at the 11:19 mark, the Gorlocks scored nine unanswered to pull within 50-48. Webster also got within two at 54-52, but buckets by sophomore
Shane Wissink and senior
Eric Dust pushed the lead to 58-52 with three minutes to go.
A pair of Dust dunks and 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute helped seal the victory.
Inside the Box Score
- Dust finished with a career-high 19 points for his third straight double-figure outing and added eight rebounds.
- Wissink followed with nine points, five assists and four steals, while juniors Jason Towery and Ronnie Carson added eight points each.
- UMSL shot 49.1 percent and held a 38-27 rebounding advantage, while Webster shot 42.9 percent and blocked seven shots.
Triton Tibit
- Head Coach Bob Sundvold picked up his 199th career victory in the win.
Up Next: UMSL hosts Missouri Southern on Thursday at 7 p.m.
