SPRINGFIELD, MO. – Junior Yaakema Rose Jr. scored a game and career-high 26 points on Thursday night as the No. 23 ranked University of Missouri-St. Louis men's basketball team held on for a 72-70 win at Drury in Great Lakes Valley Conference action.
 
The Tritons won their 12^th straight game, while also snapping a 12-game losing streak to the Panthers, and won in Springfield for the first time since 2011-12. UMSL's win streak is the second longest active in NCAA DII, trailing only Lincoln Memorial, who has strung together 14 wins.
 
Redshirt senior Jason Towery tied a career-high with 18 points, knocking down 6-of-10 three-pointers.
 
RECORDS
UMSL (13-1, 4-0 GLVC), Drury (8-4, 1-3 GLVC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
UMSL clung to a 41-40 lead at halftime after an opening half that saw both teams shoot at least 50 percent from the field, while neither team led by more than five points. Towery scored 15 first-half points on 5-of-8 shooting from long distance.
 
Drury's 16-7 start to the second half, aided by the Tritons making just 3-of-9 from the field, gave the Panthers the game's largest lead at 56-48 lead with 11:32 to go.
 
UMSL got within two at 61-59 with just under seven minutes to go on Towery's sixth three-pointer, while a pair of Jose Grubbs free throws tied it at 63-63 with 5:40 on the clock.
 
Five straight points from junior Shane Wissink, including a layup with 2:24 to play, gave the Tritons a 69-67 advantage. Both teams would then remain scoreless until a Rose steal and lay in with nine ticks on the clock.
 
UMSL finished the game shooting 48.1 percent and held a 30-28 rebounding advantage as the Tritons outrebounded their eighth straight opponent. Drury shot 52.9 percent.
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Wissink finished with 12 points and dished out four assists to go with two steals.
• Rose Jr. added five rebounds, three assists and steals to his stat line.
• Redshirt sophomore Kellen King pulled down a team-high six boards.

 
UP NEXT
UMSL travels to Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 3 p.m.