UMSL Comeback Falls Short at Saint Joseph's

Ronnie Banks Scores 35 Points in UMSL Loss

Rensselaer, Ind. - The UMSL men's basketball team got off to a slow start at Saint Joseph's and had to play from behind the rest of the game before eventually falling 87-78 to the Pumas.

UMSL got off to a slow start, failing to get a field goal until the 15:50 mark as the Pumas quickly jumped out to a 19-5 lead in the first ten minutes of the game. Saint Joseph's would then lead by 15 points at 29-14 before UMSL would start to chip away at that lead. The Rivermen used a 9-2 run, including a three-point play from Sherome Cole, to cut the lead to eight points at 29-21. The Pumas would slowly get the lead back to 12 points at 35-23, before Ronnie Banks would connect on back-to-back three pointers in a 20-second span and cut the lead in half at 35-29. Saint Joseph's then got a baseline jumper from Hodges Smith to lead by eight points, 37-29, at halftime.

The Pumas came out and scored the first two buckets of the second half to push their lead out to 12 points, 43-31, in the opening minutes of the second half. The Rivermen then chipped away at the Puma lead, knocking it down to just seven points at 54-47 with just under ten minutes remaining. UMSL then got six-straight points to cut the lead to just one point at 54-53. The Rivermen stayed close the next couple of minutes, answering each St. Joseph's basket with one of their own. Ronnie Banks got a three-point play to cut the lead back to one point at 65-64. On the next possession, Banks got two free throws to give UMSL its first lead of the game at 66-65 with seven minutes to play. The game would be tied at 68-68 when Saint Joseph's would get control of the game with an 8-2 run to lead 76-70 with with 3:38 left on the clock and would go on from there to win the game 87-78.

UMSL was led by Ronnie Banks with a game-high 35 points on the night, marking a new career high for him, and Sherome Cole added a career high as well with 14 points. Hodges Smith scored 19 points for Saint Joseph's in the Pumas' win. The Rivermen are now 5-17 on the season and 2-15 in the GLVC.

UMSL will play host to Lewis on Thursday, February 20, at 7:45 pm and then host local rival SIU Edwardsville on Saturday, February 22 for a 7:45 pm tipoff.