After taking a 39-36 lead into the intermission, the Screaming Eagles were held to just 9-of-31 (.290) from the field in the final 20 minutes as the Tritons handed USI its first GLVC road loss of the year.

USI (11-6, 7-4 GLVC) led 43-40 three minutes into the third quarter, but the Tritons scored seven straight points to take a four-point lead with five minutes remaining in the period.

Missouri-St. Louis (9-11, 4-7 GLVC) held the Eagles to just one field goal and five points throughout the final seven minutes of the third frame to build a 51-48 advantage with 10 minutes to play in the contest.

USI was just 3-of-13 (.231) from the field in the third quarter as the Tritons ended the period with a 4-1 rally.

The Eagles trailed 55-48 early in the fourth quarter, but a 7-0 USI run saw the Eagles pull into a brief 55-55 tie with just over seven minutes to play.

Missouri-St. Louis, however, quickly responded with an 11-2 surge that ended with the Eagles facing a 66-57 deficit with four minutes on the clock.

USI got to within five points on a pair of occasions in the final four minutes, but the Tritons went 6-of-8 from the charity stripe in the final four minutes to seal the victory.

Earlier in the contest, the Eagles rode the hot hands of freshman forward Hannah Haithcock, freshman guard Addy Blackwell and sophomore forward Ashlynn Brown to take the three-point halftime advantage. The trio combined for 24 of USI’s 39 first-half points, going a combined 8-of-11 from the field and 2-of-3 from downtown.

Haithcock, who had a game-high 10 points at the break, finished with a team-high 12 points; while Brown added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds after going into the intermission with eight points. Junior guard Emma DeHart, who scored USI’s first five points, finished with 10 points and three assists.

Junior forward Alex LaPorta had a game-high 16 points and 14 rebounds for the Tritons, who out-rebounded the Eagles 45-33.

USI returns to action Saturday at 1 p.m. when it visits GLVC-newcomer Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. The Lions (11-6, 7-4 GLVC) defeated McKendree University, 103-74, Thursday evening in St. Charles.

Notes: USI’s loss marked the first time in 10 games that the Eagles have lost a game when leading at halftime…USI committed just nine turnovers in the game, but the Tritons connected on 9-of-23 shots from behind the arc, while the Eagles went just 4-of-18 from downtown.