UMSL Falls to 24th-Ranked Grand Valley State

St. Louis, Mo. – The University of Missouri-St. Louis men’s basketball team lost to 24th-ranked Grand Valley State, 86-57 on Saturday in the second day of the UMSL Thanksgiving Classic.

The Rivermen jumped out to a quick lead, getting two-three pointers from Troy Slaten to start the game and led 8-2 in the opening two minutes of action. UMSL then led 14-8 after a layup from Octavious Hawkins before Grand Valley State rallied with 11-straight points to lead 19-14. UMSL came back with a three pointer from Brett Ledbetter to spark a five-point run that tied it at 19-19. The game was then tied at 22-22 with 5:38 left in the half when the Lakers went on a 16-1 run over the next three minutes to take a 38-27 lead going into halftime. UMSL got the first bucket in the second half on a layup from David Ward to cut the deficit to nine points at 38-29, but GVSU scored the next six and took control of the game to win 86-57.

UMSL was led by David Ward with 14 points and eight rebounds in the game and Troy Slaten scored 13 points for the Rivermen. Octavious Hawkins pulled down seven rebounds and dished out a team-best five assists as well.

The Rivermen fall to 2-2 on the season and will open up their Great Lakes Valley Conference season next week when they host Indianapolis on Thursday, November 30, at 7:30 pm. Prior to the start of that game, UMSL will have an official dedication ceremony of the new Chuck Smith Court, in honor of former men’s basketball coach and athletic director Chuck Smith.