UMSL Wins in Final Minutes at Bellarmine

Rivermen Win 62-59; Keep Postseason Hopes Alive

Louisville, Ky. – The Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball kept their postseason hopes alive with a 62-59 road win at Bellarmine on Thursday night, winning in a dramatic come-from-behind fashion. The Rivermen trailed by five points with 1:40 left in the game, but fought back for the win.

Trailing 59-54 with 1:40 left in the game, UMSL outscored the Knights 8-0 over the closing minutes for the win. Aaron Green (St. Louis, Mo./Riverview Gardens) connected on one of two free throws at the 1:28 mark to make it 59-55. After a turnover by Bellarmine, UMSL’s Joey Paul (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) missed on a three-point attempt, but Derrell Minner (New Madrid, Mo./New Madrid Central) fought for the offensive rebound and kicked it back out to Paul, who got a second try from three-point range, connecting on his second try to pull UMSL within one point at 59-58. On the next possession, the Knights again turned the ball over, this time on a steal by Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy) who took the ball down the court for a fast break slam dunk that gave the Rivermen a 60-59 lead with 36 seconds left in the game. After a missed jumper by Bellarmine, Griffin then converted on two free throws with eight seconds left for the 62-59 win.

UMSL got off to a quick start, scoring the first six points of the game, but the Knights came charging right back and took a six-point lead just eight minutes into the game at 16-10. UMSL kept the game close and made a late charge in the first half, using a 14-2 run that was capped by a three pointer from Jonathan Griffin that gave UMSL a 24-18 lead. The Knights then closed the gap by halftime as the Rivermen led by just two points at 29-27 at the break. Bellarmine came out strong in the second half and quickly took a six-point lead at 46-40 in the opening nine minutes of the second half and held that lead until UMSL’s dramatic come back in the closing minutes.

Jonathan Griffin led UMSL with 23 points in the game with five rebounds and three steals. David Ward (Maryland Heights, Mo./DeSmet) added 13 points off the bench in the win.

UMSL improves to 9-17 on the season and 5-14 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference while Bellarmine falls to 9-17 on the year and 4-15 in the GLVC. The win also keeps the Rivermen hopes alive for a chance at the GLVC Tournament. The Rivermen will need a win on Saturday at Northern Kentucky along with at least one loss by Lewis University to get the eighth and final seed to the GLVC tournament.