Banks Carries UMSL to Win over 25th-Ranked Indianapolis

Rivermen Hold on for 59-52 Victory over Greyhounds

St. Louis, Mo. – The UMSL men’s basketball team rode the shoulder of Ronnie Banks (Birmingham, Ala./Phillips) in the second half in an upset win over 25th-ranked Indianapolis, winning 59-52 on Thursday evening in a GLVC contest. Banks scored a game-high 25 points, including 17 in the second half, accounting for half the Rivermen points in the second half.

In the first half, the Greyhounds sprinted out to a quick lead, outscoring UMSL 12-4 in the opening eight minutes of the game. The Rivermen then turned up the defensive pressure and scored the next seven points in the game to cut the deficit to one point. Indianapolis would hold that lead until late in the half when UMSL got their first lead of the game at 22-21 on a rebound layup by Kevin Nordmann (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves). Justin Foust (St. Charles, Mo./St. Charles West) then hit a buzzer beating three pointer to end the half and give UMSL the 25-21 halftime lead.

UMSL got a quick start in the second half on a three pointer from Ronnie Banks to give UMSL a seven-point lead at 28-21. Indianapolis kept the game close with a 5-0 run later in the half and took a 42-41 lead. UMSL got the lead right back on a pair of free throws by Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy). The Greyhounds came back to tie the game at 46-46 and took a short two-point lead before Sherome Cole (Siekston, Mo./Sikeston) would tie the game at 48-48 with four minutes left. Indianapolis again grabbed the lead but Banks scored on a fast-break layup to knot it up at 50-50 with just over two mintues remaining. On the next possession, Banks hit a big three-pointer to give the Rivermen the lead at 53-50 and followed that with a pair of free throws for a five-point UMSL lead. UMSL then hit some free throws down the stretch and held on for the 59-52 upset win over the 25th-ranked Greyhounds.

The Rivermen were led by Ronnie Banks with 25 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Jonathan Griffin added 12 points and seven rebounds and Justin Foust added 10 points and five rebounds.

UMSL is now 8-12 on the season and 4-9 in the GLVC. The Rivermen will be at home again on Saturday afternoon when they host Northern Kentucky at 3:15 pm.