UMSL Drops Conference Opener
Aaron Green Scores 22 Points for Rivermen in Loss
St. Louis, Mo. – The Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team dropped their conference opener, falling 80-65 to visiting Saint Joseph’s on Friday evening. UMSL was led by Aaron Green (St. Louis, Mo./Riverview Gardens) with 22 points and five rebounds in the loss, and Sherome Cole (Sikeston, Mo./Richland) added 15 points off the bench.
UMSL got the first bucket of the game on a jumper by Derrell Minner (New Madrid, Mo./New Madrid Central), but Saint Joseph’s responded with a 10-2 run to lead by six points five minutes into the game. UMSL would cut it to four points before another run by the Pumas, scoring five straight points, gave Saint Joseph’s a 15-6 lead. The Rivermen stayed close, and got within five points at 21-16 on a jumper by Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy), but Saint Joseph’s went on a 12-2 run over the next four minutes to lead by 15 points, 33-18. The Pumas took a 13-point lead, 38-25, into halftime.
In the second half, the Rivermen came out quickly, scoring six of the first seven points in the half to make it a seven-point game at 39-32. Saint Joseph’s would push it back up to a 13-point lead at 50-37 with 13:46 remaining when UMSL fought back again. The Rivermen went on a 10-3 run over the next four minutes to cut the lead down to six points. During that run, Aaron Green got things started for UMSL with a layup and Sherome Cole scored the next eight points, hitting back-to-back three pointers and then getting a layup to make it 53-47 with ten minutes left in the game. Cole came through again for UMSL a few minutes later, hitting another three pointer to cut the Pumas’ lead to five points at 57-52 with just over six minutes left. The lead would go back and forth over the next few minutes, as UMSL stayed within striking distance. A jumper by Cole, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half, kept it a five-point game at 65-60 with four mintues to play, but Saint Joseph’s came right back with a three pointer on their next possession to push the lead to eight points and keep control of the game. Late free throws by the Pumas helped secure the victory, as Saint Joseph’s went on for the 80-65 win.
Aaron Green led UMSL with a career-high 22 points and pulled down five rebounds. Sherome Cole had 15 points off the bench and Jonathan Griffin scored 14 points, extending his double-digit scoring streak to 32 games. The Pumas controlled the paint, grabbing 53 rebounds to UMSL’s 39 in the game, including 21 offensive rebounds by Saint Jospeh’s. SJC scored 17 second chance points with those offensive rebounds, compared to UMSL’s six second chance points on ten offensive rebounds.
UMSL is now 1-3 on the season and will host Wisconsin-Parkside in a GLVC matchup on Sunday, November 28, at 3pm.