Quick Start by UMSL Fizzles in the End

Rivermen Fall 75-66 to Wisconsin-Parkside

St. Louis, Mo. – The Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team got off to a quick start against Wisconsin-Parkside, but saw the Rangers rally late in the first half and take control in the second half as the Rivermen fell 75-66. Aaron Green (St. Louis, Mo./Riverview Gardens) led UMSL with 22 points on the night, his second straight 20-point game.

The Rivermen jumped out to a quick lead in the first half, leading 12-4 in the opening five minutes of the game. UMSL would push their lead out to 14 points, using a 7-0 run to lead 27-13 with 7:55 left in the half. Aaron Green scored five straight points during that run, getting a dunk and a three pointer. Wisconsin-Parkside would not fold, and made a charge by scoring the next 12 points of the game over a six-minute span and cut the UMSL lead down to just two points at 27-25. The Rivermen got a layup from Aaron Green to push it back to a four-point lead for UMSL, but UWP would score the final five points of the half, including a three-pointer at the buzzer to take a 32-31 lead going into halftime.

The Rangers then scored the first four points of the second half to take a five-point lead, and would quickly push that lead up to 11 points in the opening three minutes of the half, outscoring UMSL 12-2 during that stretch to take control of the game. In total, UWP outscored UMSL 29-6 over a 12-minute span; the last eight minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half. The Rivermen would bounce back, scoring four straight points to make it a seven-point game at 44-37, but the Rangers poured it on again and led by as many as 13 points, 53-40, with just under 12 minutes left in the game. UMSL would cut the lead down to eight points on a three pointer from Sherome Cole (Sikeston, Mo./Richland) and a pair of free throws by Chris Mroz (Chicago, Ill./St. Patrick). UMSL would get no closer than nine points until a late field goal made it a seven-point game with under a minute to play, as the Rangers held on for the 75-66 win.

Aaron Green led UMSL with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 4-of-6 shooting from three-point range. Jonathan Griffin (St. Louis, Mo./Normandy) scored 14 points and Chris Mroz added 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in a losing effort. The Rivermen are now 1-4 on the season and drop to 0-2 in the GLVC. UMSL will be in action next week with a game at SIU Edwardsville on Thursday, December 2, at 7 pm.