ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis opened the game with a 17-0 run and cruised to a 65-35 victory over Alabama State Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena.
The Billikens (10-1), who extended their winning streak to four, yielded a season-low opponent’s scoring total and posted their second-largest margin of victory this year. Alabama State of the Southwestern Athletic Conference fell to 2-7.
Rob Loe and Cody Ellis tied for game-high scoring honors with 15 points apiece. Loe tallied season highs in points and 3-point field goals (3-for-6), while Ellis - who scored in double figures for a seventh consecutive outing – was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
Dwayne Evans grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to lead the Billikens to a 43-24 edge on the glass, their largest advantage of the season. Evans also picked up a career-high three steals.
Jake Barnett collected a career-high five rebounds and tied his career best with seven points, and Kwamain Mitchell notched a game-high seven assists.
SLU registered a season-high seven blocks and recorded an assist on 17 of its 22 field goals.
Kenderek Washington (12 points, six rebounds), Josh Mason (eight points) and Phillip Crawford (six points, seven rebounds) led Alabama State, which became the third Billiken opponent this season to shoot below 30 percent (29.2) and the third to score fewer than 45 points.
SLU scored on its first four and seven of its first 10 possessions in building the 17-0 cushion. Layups by Brian Conklin and Loe were followed by 3-pointers from Mitchell and Loe, and the Bills led 10-0.
Evans converted an Alabama State turnover into a transition layup, and Ellis, who scored 12 first-half points, drilled a jumper and a 3-pointer to complete the outburst.
The Hornets finally dented the scoreboard with Luther Page’s layup at the 11:54 mark. The Billikens went scoreless on five successive possessions, but Alabama State would draw no closer than 12 points.
SLU finished the half with a 14-4 run. Ellis’ two free throws and 3-pointer sandwiched a Mitchell trey, and an Ellis layup handed the Billikens their first 20-point lead, 29-9. A pair of Loe free throws and Mitchell’s layup gave Saint Louis a 33-11 halftime advantage.
Alabama State’s 11 first-half points are the fewest scored by a Saint Louis opponent in any half this season. The Hornets are the fourth team held to 16 or fewer first-half points by the Billikens this year.
Following a miss on its initial second-half possession, Saint Louis enjoyed 10 consecutive successful possessions to put the game on ice. Seven different Billikens scored during that stretch, with Conklin and Loe notching six points apiece to lead the way.
The Bills led by as many as 37 points before settling for the final margin.
The Billikens host Arkansas State Thursday, Dec. 22. Tip time at Chaifetz Arena is 7 p.m.
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