UMSL Rivermen Pull Out 87-76 Win

Three Players Score 19 Point in Victory

St. Louis, Mo. – The UMSL men’s basketball team got some great balance on offense as three players connected for 19 points each in an 87-76 win over Illinois-Springfield on Wednesday night. Larry Wells (Memphis, Tenn./Westwood), Daryl Saine (Arlington, Tenn./Bolton) and Ronnie Banks (Birmingham, Ala./Phillips) each scored 19 points in the win for UMSL.

The Rivermen got off to a quick start in the first half, scoring the first nine points of the game. Illinois-Springfield fought back to tie the game at 10-10 at the 14 minute mark before UMSL again took control of the game. The Rivermen slowly added on to the lead throughout the first half, and two Justin Foust (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles West) free throws put UMSL up by 14 points and the Rivermen went on to take a 43-33 lead into halftime.

In the second half, UMSL quickly added to that lead. Daryl Saine converted a three-point play at the 16:31 mark to give UMSL a 54-35 lead. The Rivermen held that 19-point advantage until the 12:31 mark with UIS fought back. The Prairie Stars closed the game to just nine points at 79-70 after a 5-0 run, and stayed just nine points back at 81-72 with under two minutes to play. With the shot clock winding down for UMSL, Ronnie Banks took a deep three-point shot that bounced off the rim and was tipped in by Daryl Saine, pushing the UMSL lead to 11 points. After a turnover by UIS, Saine got a fast break layup to give UMSL a 13-point lead and the Rivermen hit late free throws to hold on to the 87-76 win.

Larry Wells, Ronnie Banks and Daryl Saine all led UMSL with 19 points each. Saine added seven rebounds and Banks hit 5-of-7 from three-point range in the game. Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy) was also in double figures, scoring 14 points and grabbibng six rebounds. Illinois-Springfield was led by Jeff Walker with a game-high 22 points.

UMSL is now 2-1 on the season and will start conference play this weekend. The Rivermen will travel to play at Bellarmine on Saturday, Novermber 30, and then play at Northern Kentucky on Monday, December 2.