Spring Break
UMSL upsets No. 25 ranked Northern Kentucky
Tom Schnable
Issue date: 1/28/08 Section: Sports
The way the worm turns in the world of basketball, most teams pull off at least one upset per season. Thursday night on Chuck Smith court, the UM-St. Louis men's basketball team snagged its in a 71-63 victory over Northern Kentucky. NKU had come into the game as the 25th-ranked team in Division II.
Efficiency was the name of the game for the Tritons, who only committed 11 turnovers, nine below their season average. That, and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, allowed UM-St. Louis to escape with the win.
Coach Chris Pilz thought the effort his men exerted that evening was the best it had been all season long.
"Northern Kentucky is the best team on that side [the eastern division], and that was probably our best game of the season," said Pilz.
"On the offensive end we were really efficient and effective in executing what we wanted to do, and we executed our defensive game plan as well," he said.
Junior Tim Green led a quartet of Tritons in double-digit scoring with 17 points, including 8-8 from the foul line. UM-St. Louis as a team shot 83 percent from the charity stripe, including 7 out of 8 in the games final two minutes.
Green and senior Paul De Chellis each grabbed six rebounds in the game, which tied for the team high. De Chellis, along with senior Paul Paradoski, chipped in 14 points and senior Sky Frazier added 13. Frazier played only 20 minutes due to foul trouble.
Despite the contributions of these players, Coach Pilz credited the entire team in the victory.
"Collectively, even the guys that didn't get in the game [helped out]," he said. "I thought our bench had good energy, the guys on the floor were really concentrating and enthusiastic, and just playing their hardest."
The victory improved the Tritons record to 7-9, 2-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. It was the first win for UM-St. Louis versus an opponent from the eastern division, which certainly made Coach Pilz happy.
"The east has dominated our side," he said, referring to his team's then 1-5 record against eastern opposition. "Now we get in our own division, on the west side, and it'll be interesting to see how we do."
Pilz also noted that the win was only the teams' second in games decided by fewer than 10 points.
"We lost five single-digit games to that point," said Pilz. "When you struggle and play a bunch of close games, sometimes you have to figure out how to win one of those."
Efficiency was the name of the game for the Tritons, who only committed 11 turnovers, nine below their season average. That, and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, allowed UM-St. Louis to escape with the win.
Coach Chris Pilz thought the effort his men exerted that evening was the best it had been all season long.
"Northern Kentucky is the best team on that side [the eastern division], and that was probably our best game of the season," said Pilz.
"On the offensive end we were really efficient and effective in executing what we wanted to do, and we executed our defensive game plan as well," he said.
Junior Tim Green led a quartet of Tritons in double-digit scoring with 17 points, including 8-8 from the foul line. UM-St. Louis as a team shot 83 percent from the charity stripe, including 7 out of 8 in the games final two minutes.
Green and senior Paul De Chellis each grabbed six rebounds in the game, which tied for the team high. De Chellis, along with senior Paul Paradoski, chipped in 14 points and senior Sky Frazier added 13. Frazier played only 20 minutes due to foul trouble.
Despite the contributions of these players, Coach Pilz credited the entire team in the victory.
"Collectively, even the guys that didn't get in the game [helped out]," he said. "I thought our bench had good energy, the guys on the floor were really concentrating and enthusiastic, and just playing their hardest."
The victory improved the Tritons record to 7-9, 2-6 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. It was the first win for UM-St. Louis versus an opponent from the eastern division, which certainly made Coach Pilz happy.
"The east has dominated our side," he said, referring to his team's then 1-5 record against eastern opposition. "Now we get in our own division, on the west side, and it'll be interesting to see how we do."
Pilz also noted that the win was only the teams' second in games decided by fewer than 10 points.
"We lost five single-digit games to that point," said Pilz. "When you struggle and play a bunch of close games, sometimes you have to figure out how to win one of those."
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