UMSL Loses Late Lead, Falls 62-58

Late Run by Panthers Steals Victory from Rivermen

St. Louis, Mo. – The Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team led for most of the game, but fell behind when it mattered most, losing 62-58 to Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night. The Rivermen never trailed in the first half, and led by as many as 11 points in the second half before the Panthers came back for the come from behind win.

In the first half, UMSL got the first bucket of the game from David Ward (Maryland Heights, Mo./DeSmet), and with the score tied at 6-6, the Rivermen reeled off six straight points to take a 12-6 lead in the first four minutes of the game. UMSL would push that lead out to team points at 19-9 after a fast break layup from Tim Geurin (St. Louis, Mo./Parkway West), and held that lead at 27-17 with three minutes left in the half. Kentucky Wesleyan got two late three pointers from Matt Enos, one in the closing seconds, cutting the UMSL lead to just five points, 31-26, at halftime.

Kentucky Wesleyan got the first bucket of the second half to make it a three-point game, but UMSL responded with five straight points to push their lead back up to eight points at 36-28. A three pointer by Sherome Cole (Sikeston, Mo./Richland) later in the half would make it a ten-point UMSL lead at 43-33 with 12:36 left in the game. The Rivermen continued to fight off the charges by the Panthers, but KWC closed the gap and cut the lead to just one point at 43-42 with eight minutes remaining. UMSL responded strong, getting a fast break layup from Aaron Green (St. Louis, Mo./Riverview Gardens) that started a nine-point run by UMSL, including two three pointers from Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy), that pushed the lead back up to 11 points at 53-42 with 6:38 left in the game. The Panthers came back with a run of their own, going on a 9-0 run to cut the lead back down to just two points at 53-51. KWC then took their first lead of the game on a three pointer by Matt Enos to give the Panthers a 56-55 lead. The lead was short lived, as Joey Paul (Highland Park, Ill./Highland Park) hit a three pointer on UMSL’s next possession, giving the Rivermen a 58-56 lead with two minutes left in the game. Those would be the last points for the Rivermen in the game however, as KWC scored the final eight points to walk away with a 62-58 win.

UMSL was led by Jonathan Griffin with 19 points, 13 rebounds, six assists and four steals on the night. Aaron Green added 13 points and David Ward chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds.

The Rivermen fall to 6-12 on the season and 3-9 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. UMSL will be home again on Saturday when they host Bellarmine University at 3 pm.