ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Missouri-St. Louis Tritons pulled away from Drury late in the second half for an 80-62 win over the Panthers in St. Louis on Friday.
Drury rallied from eight points down in the first half to knot the score at 32-32 after a three-pointer by Malek Davis with two seconds left before halftime. The Panthers took the lead on the first play of the second half, but the Tritons put together a 10-0 run moments later and Drury never got within single digits again. UMSL outscored the Panthers 48-30 in the second half.
“They really pressure the ball well and I think their physicality wore us down,” said Drury head coach Chris Foster. “We tried to adjust and drive the ball, but that led to us turning it over.”
Marty Jackson led the Tritons with a game-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. UMSL shot 50 percent from the field as they hit 29 of their 58 shots.
Malek Davis had 13 points to lead Drury as the Panthers shot 39 percent from the field going 20 for 52 from the field. Victor Nwagbarachoa chipped in 10 points.
Drury plays again on Saturday as they take on Lindenwood on Saturday at 3 pm in St. Charles, Missouri.
