The Thanksgiving Classic proved a bountiful feast for University of Missouri-St. Louis men's basketball team last weekend, as it won both games it played in runaway fashion.
The two wins gave the Tritons a three-game winning streak and moved the team to 4-1 on the season. That is just the kind of start head coach Chris Pilz was hoping to have before UM-St. Louis begins Great Lakes Valley Conference play.
"I think any coach would want his team to get off to good start," Pilz said before the season began. "We play in a really tough league. So we need to get as many wins as we can.
"That'll help breed some confidence before we get started in conference."
Friday, the Tritons looked very confident, blasting Central Bible College, 78-57. Ryne Bechtel, freshman, business, came off the bench to hit four three-pointers, leading to a career-high 14 points. Bechtel lead all UM-St. Louis players.
Jeremy Brown, junior, undecided, had 12 points and nine rebounds, while Tim Green, senior, accounting, and Beaumont Beasley, freshman, business, added 10 points apiece for the Tritons.
UM-St. Louis used first-half runs of 19-2 and 13-2 to blow the game open.
Saturday, Aaron Jackson, senior liberal studies, scored a team-high 17 points, all in the second half, to lead the Tritons to a 86-56 win over crosstown rival Missouri Baptist University.
This time, it was defense that sparked the UM-St. Louis win. The Tritons made 10 steals, forced 20 turnovers, and held the Spartans to 36.7 percent shooting before they pulled away in the second half.
Alex Jackson, senior, criminal justice, had 13 points, while Brown, Beasley, and Ryan Lawrence, sophomore, undecided, all chipped in 11 points, as UM-St. Louis won its 12th straight nonconference home game.
The Tritons will open GLVC conference play Thursday night, when they travel to Quincy, Ill., to take on Quincy University, which also will open conference play in that game.
UM-St. Louis' next home game will be Saturday, when the team hosts Lewis University, in the second game of a women's game and men's game doubleheader.
The Triton women will play at 1 p.m. The men will follow at 3 p.m.
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