INDIANAPOLIS -- The University of Missouri-St. Louis women's basketball team defeated UIndy 66-63 in a back and forth affair on Saturday afternoon at Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis. The Tritons improve to 17-5, 11-4 GLVC while the Greyhounds drop to 7-15, 5-9 GLVC. The win was head coach Katie Vaughn's 200th as a Triton.
 
It was once again a slow start for UMSL as the Hounds jumped out to an 11-0 lead less than three minutes into the game. Audrey Martinez-Stewart scored the Tritons first basket four minutes in to the first quarter.
 
A six-point run by Mara Rieder helped to pull UMSL closer to the Greyhounds, but turnovers prevented sustained momentum for UMSL. Katie Hamill scored a buzzer-beating layup to pull the Tritons within ten heading into the second quarter.
 
Alex Wolff got UMSL going in the second quarter, making an early jump shot. A Rieder layup brought the Tritons even with UIndy at 29 apiece and then Emerson Weller hit free-throws with a minute left to give the Tritons their first lead of the game and took a 31-29 lead into the half.
 
UMSL's kept the Greyhounds off the scoreboard for the entire second quarter. The Tritons outrebounded UIndy 14-8, with a 7-1 offensive rebounding edge.
 
The third quarter saw the Tritons and Greyhounds trade baskets through the first four minutes. Rieder made both her free throws to give UMSL a three-point lead with six minutes to go in the period.
 
UIndy went on a 12-0 run in the 3:32 to take a 47-39 lead on a layup by Patricia Chikamba at the 2:14 mark of the quarter.
 
Anna Costa Riera made a three-pointer with just under a minute left in the stanza to cut the Greyhounds lead to five. After a turnover, Rieder made a layup at the buzzer to bring the Tritons within 49-46 heading into the final quarter.
 
UMSL and the Greyhounds traded chances over the first half of the fourth quarter, once again exchanging the lead on nearly every possession.
 
With three minutes left, Kate Rolfes hit a three-point shot to put the Tritons up by four points. Hamill made a jump shot and two free throws in the span of 0:43 to put UMSL up 66-61 with 1:30 to play.
 
UIndy made it a one possession game on its next trip down the floor on a layup from Elana Wells.
 
The Tritons had a chance to extend the lead but Kylah Lawson blocked Hamill's jumper and got the rebound. Weller came up with a steal on the other end but an UMSL turnover gave the ball back to the Hounds with 0:06 remaining.
 
Morgan Ramthun blocked Wells' game-tying three-point attempt and got the rebound to seal the win for the Tritons.
 
UMSL shot 23-for-68 (34 percent) from the field, was 3-of-23 from behind the arc but shot 90 percent (17-for-19) at the free-throw line. Rieder led the Tritons with 20 points, seven rebounds, and one block. Wolff had 11 points, five rebounds, and one steal.
 
The Greyhounds connected on 25 of their 45 attempts (56 percent) from the field including 4-of-9 from three but shot 69 percent (9-for-13) at the foul line. Wells finished with a game-high 23 points, two rebounds, and one steal.
 
UMSL returns home on Thursday (Feb. 13) as it hosts Quincy at 5:30 p.m. on Chuck Smith Court at the Mark Twain Building.