ST. LOUIS – Jenna Mueller hit a jumper with 1.1 seconds remaining to help lift Saint Louis to a 56-55 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over Duquesne Sunday at Chaifetz Arena.
The Billikens move to 8-15 on the season, 2-6 in the A-10. Duquesne dips to 15-8 overall and 3-5 in the league.
Lorreal Jones recorded her fifth double-double of the season with a team-high 13 points and team-best 13 rebounds. Courtney Webb pumped in 12 points, all via the three-ball. Mallory Eggert contributed nine points and eight rebounds. Morgan Johnson hit a pair of big 3-pointers and recorded a team-high three steals. Mueller’s eights points were a season high.
The Billikens were lifted by a 52 percent shooting mark in the second half, a marked improvement over their 29.2 percentage in the opening half. They also overcame a season-high 28 turnovers.
For Duquesne, Wumi Agunbiade registered a game-high 21 points, while Alex Gensler added 15.
A back-and-forth second half saw six ties and 14 lead changes. With less than two minutes to play, the Billikens twice trailed by one, but Jones hit a pair of clutch jumpers each time to give SLU the one-point advantage.
Duquesne took a 55-54 lead with 15 seconds left on an Agunbiade basket, setting up the Billikens’ chance to win it in regulation. Jones took the first crack but misfired. Jamesia Price was there for the rebound and tipped it to Mueller, who buried a 10-footer for the game winner. Duquesne attempted a desperation attempt from beyond half court but it was off the mark.
“This was the biggest win of the season for us,” SLU head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller said. “We didn’t just beat anybody, we beat one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference. We out-worked, out-played and out-toughed Duquesne from beginning to end.
“It wasn’t just one person, everyone stepped up and made big plays for us when we needed stops, rebounds or points,” Gray-Miller added. “I really feel like we are going to turn the corner for these last six games and finish strong.”
The Billikens jumped out to a 10-2 lead. Eggert scored the first three points of the game, and Webb nailed her first of three first-half treys as SLU led 6-2. Eggert recorded another basket, and Mueller hit a pair of free throws as SLU led 10-2 five minutes into the game.
Duquesne responded by going on a 15-2 run to take a 17-12 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half. SLU snapped out of its cold streak in a big way, however, as Webb and Johnson nailed back-to-back treys to put SLU on top 18-17.
The Dukes briefly regained the lead before Webb hit another triple to put SLU on top 21-19 late in the first half. Kim Bee added a late basket, and the teams headed to the locker room with the score tied 23-23.
The Billikens return to the court Wednesday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m. against Temple.
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