ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- Defending the perimeter illuminated the Tritons' game plan Sunday against the Tiffin Dragons.

The Dragons, known for their versatile, timely shooting from 3-point land, did exactly what the Tritons knew they would do: whip the ball around the outside and drain their shots.

But a strong defensive effort by UMSL, complemented by the innate, versatile play down low by Marty Jackson, pulled the Tritons to within three points at halftime as Tiffin led, 44-41, and the eventual win, 87-77.

The final few minutes were vital in the win, head coach Bob Sundvold said.

"I thought early in the game we let a few guys get free on some 3s, and were having our hands down on our closeouts. We weren't quite efficient," Sundvold said, whose Tritons move to 2-0 after the Crossover Tournament. "At the end of the half, I thought we had a great group in there. They kind of caught fire there defensively, and we were able to get some run outs and some breaks. Our team has shown in the past that if we do a good job defensively, we are going to score off our defense."

Tiffin led by as many as 11 points, but the Tritons, behind the performance of Jackson, who was All-GLVC last year, UMSL kept the pedal to the metal on both ends of the court.

"Marty had a great weekend, and he has shown that if we can get him the ball, he can make some things happen with it," Sundvold said. "The end of the half was really key. We opened the second half and kept the same momentum, the same intensity. We had a little lull late, but that may have been my fault. I thought, for the most part, that our guys did a good job."

Jackson's foundation is what separates him from the competition.

"He has great hands and feet," Sundvold added. "He moves his feet and the other thing he does, and we will see that the rest of the year, is he sees open guys. His ability to accept the double team and move the ball really has been terrific."

UMSL took the lead early in the second half and extended it to a 12-point differential at the 12-minute mark.

Sundvold and the Tritons know the competition at the Crossover like a local menu, and since the teams are viable threats, the Tritons hold their heads high as they went 2-0 and now prepare for their first regular-season road trip to the opposite side of the state.

Added Sundvold: "We know going in that we have Tiffin and Walsh. I have a lot of respect for [them]. Boy, they are good coaches. We know what we are getting. I really think it it is tough for road teams to come in and win. We had that two years ago when we went to Tiffin. It is fun. Early on you have two really big national games because it is regional crossover. There is a lof of pressure on it. It prepares us. We have a great road trip going to St. Joseph against two really good MIAA teams."

Next Friday, the Tritons meet Northwest Missouri State University at 5:30 p.m.followed by Missouri Western at 6 p.m. on Saturday.