SETTING THE SCENE
The UMSL women's basketball team returns home for its final two games of the season in the Mark Twain Building this week when they host No. 1 ranked Drury on Thursday and Missouri S&T on Saturday. Thursday will mark the annual Pack the Stands, while on Saturday, seniors Arielle Jackson and Kaitlynn Henning will be recognized for their contributions to the program.
 
SIZING UP THE TRITONS

• UMSL (11-13, 5-10 GLVC)) is looking to snap a four-game losing streak, which began at Missouri S&T two weeks ago. All four losses came during a four-game road swing.
• The Tritons are 9-3 at home and have won their last three outings in the Mark Twain Building.
• UMSL is in 10^th place in the overall GLVC standings and is also in 10^th place in the Point Rating System, which is used to determine the top eight teams for the league's postseason tournament, 0.34 behind McKendree, which is currently eighth.
• Sophomore Alex LaPorta leads the GLVC in rebounding (10.3 rpg) and is the only player in the league to average a double-double, adding 11.3 points per game. She has 10 double-doubles this season and 19 in her career.
• LaPorta moved into a tie for sixth place on the UMSL single season rebounding charts with 247, surpassing the 236 she set last season, which marked a freshman record. Her 247 rebounds are also a record by a sophomore.
• Senior Arielle Jackson leads the team with 14.2 points per game, but has averaged just seven in her last three games.
• Freshman McKenzie Lathrom is coming off 11 points at Indianapolis. She scored nine of those on three consecutive three-pointers in a span of 97 seconds to ignite an 11-0 run that helped the Tritons pull within two after trailing by 13.

 
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Drury remains the top-ranked women's team in NCAA DII and are 24-0 overall, including 14-0 in the GLVC.  The Panthers have had just two games decided by single digits and have put up more than 100 points in two of their last three outings.
 
Missouri S&T enters a Thursday game at Maryville with a 9-12 overall record, including a 5-9 mark in the GLVC. The Miners, 2-6 on the road, have lost two straight. They sit in ninth place, one spot ahead of the Tritons, in both the GLVC regular season standings and the Point Rating System.
 
SERIES HISTORIES
The Tritons are 1-27 against Drury, which includes a 77-44 loss in Springfield on February 9. In that game, the Panthers' defense stymied UMSL all day, forcing them into 40 turnovers. Sophomore Alex LaPorta scored 14 points and added six rebounds and two steals.
 
UMSL is 23-39 all-time against Missouri S&T and saw the Lady Miners snap a four-game losing streak in the series with a 60-49 win in Rolla on February 7. LaPorta finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while senior Arielle Jackson scored 13, but it wasn't enough as the Tritons shot just 29 percent from the field.
 
UP NEXT
UMSL closes out the regular season at Maryville next Saturday.