OPENING TIP NOTES

• UMSL returns to the court on Friday to host Lindenwood at 5 p.m. following a 13-day layoff.
• The Tritons will also travel to McKendree on Sunday at 1 p.m. in their final game of 2020. That game was originally slated to be played in late February, but has been moved up.

 
TRITON TIDBITS

• UMSL will be playing its fourth straight home game on Friday and will be playing on the road for the first time this season on Sunday.
• The Tritons enter the weekend with a 1-2 record.

 
SIZING UP THE TRITONS

• Senior Alex LaPorta averages a team-best 17.3 points per game, which also represents a career-best average. She is also averaging seven rebounds and five assists per game.
• Juniors Faye Meissner and McKenzie Lathrom add 11.0 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.
• UMSL is second in the GLVC in free throw shooting percentage (.770). Lathrom (10-of-10) and freshman Azaria Hulbert (7-of-7) are both perfect at the line.

 
CAREER-WORTHY

• LaPorta sits at 949 career points and is looking to become the 16^th member of the 1,000-point club.
• LaPorta is second all-time in career rebounds with 785, 243 behind leader Tammy Putnam.
• LaPorta is also sixth all-time in career steals (130) and eighth in career assists (246).

 
ABOUT LINDENWOOD
The Lions are 3-2 and enter Friday's game on a two-game win streak with wins over Quincy and Missouri S&T. Julia Ruzevich (21.0 ppg) and Devin Fuhring (17.0 ppg) account for 51 percent of the team's scoring. Lindenwood has the league's most three-pointers made (47) and is shooting 37 percent from the arc. They also own a +12.0 rebounding margin.
 
SERIES HISTORY
UMSL is 8-9 all-time against Lindenwood and lost both games in overtime last year, which was the Lions' first as GLVC members.
 
ABOUT MCKENDREE
The Bearcats enter a Friday road game at Lewis with a 2-3 record. They are 1-2 at home. Christy Fortune averages 14 points and shots 65 percent from the field.

SERIES HISTORY
UMSL is 28-5 all-time against McKendree, including 10-1 since the Bearcats joined the GLVC. The Tritons won both meetings last year, including a 79-73 decision in overtime in Lebanon, in which LaPorta poured in 37 points and pulled down 16 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
UMSL returns to the court on Jan. 3 at William Jewell.