ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Truman State secured a 79-75 road victory over Missouri-St. Louis Wednesday evening at Mark Twain Building, improving to 11-14 overall and 8-9 in conference play. The Tritons fell to 15-12 (9-9) in front of 257 fans.
The game featured a tightly contested first half that ended tied 36-36. Missouri-St. Louis opened strong, building a 7-0 lead in the opening minutes behind Vincent Davis III, who scored five early points including two free throws at 17:57. Miles Boland added a layup at 19:25 to give UMSL its early advantage.
Truman responded with an 9-2 run to tie the game at 9-9. Julian Brown connected on a three-pointer at 16:27, assisted by Jahki Parrinello, and Ja'Vion Byers followed with a jumper at 11:28 to complete the run. The teams traded leads throughout the first half, with seven ties and one lead change.
Quientan McCafferty provided an early spark off the bench, scoring five first-half points on 2-4 shooting. Drew Kingery added four points in the opening period, while Parrinello went to the free throw line frequently, making seven of his eight first-half attempts.
Jake Hamilton's buzzer-beating three-pointer at the end of the first half, assisted by Blessed Barhayiga, tied the game at 36-36 heading into the break.
The second half saw Truman State take control. Brown opened the scoring with a jumper at 18:37 to give the Bulldogs a 38-36 lead. Parrinello's layup at 18:09 extended the advantage to 40-36, and the Bulldogs maintained their lead for most of the final period.
McCafferty's three-pointer at 16:30, assisted by Brown, pushed Truman's lead to 48-38 and forced a Missouri-St. Louis timeout. The Bulldogs led by as many as 11 points at 66-55 following Justin Duff's three-pointer at 8:16.
UMSL made several runs to cut into the deficit. Makeer Makeer's three-pointer at 14:22 pulled the Tritons within seven at 43-50, and Miles Boland's free throws at 1:48 cut the lead to 70-72. However, Truman answered each challenge.
Parrinello was a little cold from the field, scoring 13 points on 2-10 shooting but he went 9-10 from the free throw line. Brown added 14 points, while Emmanuel Byrd contributed 13 points and 12 rebounds. Byers scored 10 points and Duff added 11 off the bench.
Taye Moore paced Missouri-St. Louis with 15 points on 5-13 shooting and four assists. Miles Boland added 14 points and six assists, while Davis III scored 11 points. Jake Hamilton contributed 13 points despite shooting 5-14 from the field.
The Bulldogs shot 42.4% from the field (25-59) and 88.9% from the free throw line (24-27). Missouri-St. Louis shot 45.6% from the field (26-57) but only 61.5% from the charity stripe (16-26). Truman held a 42-32 rebounding advantage and capitalized on nine turnovers by the Tritons.
Team Statistics Comparison
| Category |
Truman State |
Missouri-St. Louis |
| Field Goals |
25-59 (42.4%) |
26-57 (45.6%) |
| 3-Pointers |
5-17 (29.4%) |
7-19 (36.8%) |
| Free Throws |
24-27 (88.9%) |
16-26 (61.5%) |
| Rebounds |
42 |
32 |
| Assists |
10 |
13 |
| Steals |
6 |
6 |
| Turnovers |
11 |
9 |
| Blocks |
4 |
1 |
| Points in Paint |
38 |
36 |
| Bench Points |
28 |
12 |
| Fast Break Points |
4 |
6 |
| Second Chance Points |
16 |
9 |
Bulldogs Statistical Leaders
Points:
Rebounds:
Assists:
Steals:
Up Next:
Truman State moved into 8th place in the GLVC points system with the road win. The Bulldogs will have another crucial game on Saturday against Maryville at 3:00 PM.
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