ST. LOUIS – The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team fell to Trevecca Nazarene 61-48 at Trojan Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon in Nashville, Tenn. The Tritons drop to 0-3 on the season while the Trojans move to 2-2.

Both sides struggled to shoot the ball to begin the game as UMSL shot 33 percent in the first 10 minutes while Trevecca Nazarene shot 39 percent. Neither side had more than a three-point lead at any point in the opening frame. The Tritons tied it at 12 near the end of the quarter on a layup by Morgan Ramthun but the Trojans scored near the end of the frame to take a 14-12 lead at the quarter break.
 
The offensive struggles continued for both teams in the second quarter as they combined to shoot 25 percent from the floor in the stanza. UMSL tied the game at 14 less than a minute in but neither side scored for another four minutes until Amaya Blake hit a jumper midway through to give the Tritons a 16-14 lead.

TNU retook the lead thanks to a 10-2 over a span of 4:18 with four of those points coming from Emma Palmer. UMSL cut the deficit to four on a jumper from Blake in the closing seconds of the half.

The Tritons shot 30 percent (9-for-30) from the floor in the first half but were 1-of-7 from three and hit one of two free throws. They had an advantage on the glass at 23-22 but turned it over eight times. Jalysa Stokes led UMSL with five points while Blake, Ramthun and Shae Dillavou added four points apiece.

The Trojans opened the third quarter on a 15-6 run to extend its lead to 39-26 on a layup by Jayda Woods. The Tritons went on an 8-2 run of their own near the end of the quarter to get back within seven at 41-34 after a jumper from Stokes but Trevecca Nazarene scored the final three points of the frame to take a 10-point lead into the final quarter.

The Trojans stretched its lead to 17 midway through the final stanza scoring 11 of the first 15 points and didn't let UMSL get closer than 13 the rest of the way.

Trevecca Nazarene shot 50 percent (13-for-26) from the field in the second half including 4-of-7 from three but shot 58 percent from the foul line. The Trojans finished the game shooting 39 percent from the field, were 7-of-17 from three and shot 59 percent at the foul line. Lili Wilken led all scorers with 16 points while Palmer added 12 and Keeley Carter finished with 10.

The Tritons were held to 33 percent (11-for-33) shooting in the second half and finished the game connecting on 20 of 63 shots for 31.7 percent. They were 1-for-14 from three but did shoot 88 percent at the foul line. Blake led UMSL with 14 points, Ramthun added 10 and Dillavou chipped in with eight points and had a game-high 13 rebounds. The Tritons outrebounded Trevecca Nazarene 46-36 in the contest but turned the ball over 14 times resulting in 13 points for the Trojans.

UMSL hosts Kentucky Wesleyan in its final contest before the Thanksgiving break on Monday afternoon at 3 p.m. at the Mark Twain Building.