UMSL Comes up Short Against Panthers

Kentucky Wesleyan Beats Rivermen 75-62

St. Louis, Mo. – The Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team lost to Kentucky Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon, falling 75-62 to the Panthers.

Early in the first half, the Panthers used a quick spurt to jump ahead and take control of the game in the opening minutes. With UMSL leading 6-5 just two minutes into the game, Kentucky Wesleyan went on an 8-0 run over the next four minutes to take a seven-point lead at 13-6. The Rivermen fought right back, getting five straight points from Ronnie Banks (Birmingham, Ala./Phillips) and a fast break layup by Sherome Cole (Sikeston, Mo./Sikeston) to cut the lead down to just one point at 17-16. The Panthers eventually pushed their lead up to nine points at 29-20, and trailing by eight, UMSL finished the last three minutes of the first half with a 6-2 run and trailed by just four points, 33-29, at halftime.

The second half featured much of the same action, as UMSL would cut into the Panthers lead, but each time Kentucky Wesleyan would respond with a couple of baskets of their own and push the lead back up. UMSL got as close as two points at 44-42 with 10 minutes remaining, and twice had it down to just three points, but a 9-2 run by Kentucky Wesleyan made it too much of a margin for the Rivermen to overcome, losing 75-62.

UMSL was led by Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy) with a game high 25 points, including 21 in the second half, shooting 10-of-17 from the field for the day. Ronnie Banks added 14 points and four assists in the loss.

Missouri-St. Louis is now 5-10 on the season and 2-7 in the GLVC. The Rivermen will play at Harris Stowe on Wednesday, and then host Quincy on Saturday, January 24.