UMSL Falls to NKU; Still Qualifies for GLVC Tournament
Rivermen Qualify as #8 Seed Despite Loss
Highland Heights, Ky. – The Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team got behind early against Northern Kentucky, and despite a strong second half battle came up short, as UMSL (9-18, 5-15 GLVC) lost 91-79 at NKU (12-14, 8-12 GLVC) to finish off the regular season. Despite the loss, the Rivermen still qualify for the GLVC Tournament next weekend as the eighth-seed. UMSL will face top-seeded Southern Indiana in the opening round on Thursday, March 3.
Northern Kentucky had a big first half against the Rivermen, putting UMSL in a hole early. The opening minutes went back and forth, until the Norse took charge and pushed out to a nine-point lead at 25-16. UMSL came right back immediately, getting three consecutive three-point field goals, one each from Sherome Cole (Sikeston, Mo./Richland), Chris Mroz (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick) and Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy) that tied the game at 25-25 with eight minutes left in the half. NKU then went on a big run, outscoring UMSL 15-2 over the next four minutes to take control as the Norse went into halftime leading by 20 points, 57-37. The Rivermen slowly chipped away at that deficit in the second half, scoring six straight points at one time in the second half that cut the lead down to just five points at 76-71 with just over five minutes remaining. UMSL would keep it a five-point game after a three pointer from Sherome Cole with 2:36 left, but NKU responded with seven straight points and held on for the 91-79 win.
UMSL was led by Jonathan Griffin with 30 points on the night, including 11-of-12 shooting from the free throw line, and pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds while dishing out six assists. Sherome Cole came off the bench to score 14 points and Derrell Minner (New Madrid, Mo./New Madrid Central) added 12 points and seven rebounds. The Rivermen end the regular season at 9-18 overall on the season and 5-15 in the GLVC.
UMSL still qualifies for the GLVC Tournament thanks to a win by Wisconsin-Parkside over Lewis, 79-77. UMSL and Lewis tied for the final spot in the tournament, but UMSL won the tiebreaker, having swept both games against Lewis in the regular season, including a double-overtime thriller in St. Louis. The Rivermen will face top-seeded Southern Indiana in the first round of the GLVC Tournament on Thursday, March 3, in Evansville, Ind.