ST. LOUIS – Mike McCall Jr. led four Saint Louis players in double figures with 14 points, and the Billikens cruised past Rockhurst 79-47 Saturday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena in SLU’s only exhibition game of the 2012-13 season.
McCall Jr. was 6-of-8 from the field overall and 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Cody Ellis (3-of-5 FG, 6-of-7 FT) and Dwayne Evans (5-of-8 FG) scored 12 points apiece, while Cory Remekun (4-of-6 FG) tossed in 10 points and hauled in a game-high seven rebounds. Jordair Jett tallied nine points and a team-high four assists, and John Manning had a game-high four blocks.
David Wingerson, Brandon McCann and Kareem Amedu led Rockhurst, a member of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Valley Conference from Kansas City, Mo., with nine points apiece. McCann registered a game-high five assists.
Saint Louis shot 64.6 percent (31-of-48) from the field while limiting Rockhurst to 29.3 percent (17-of-58).
The Billikens scored on six of their first seven second-half possessions to put the game out of reach. Rob Loesank a layup and a 3-pointer on SLU’s first two touches of the half to quickly turn a 31-19 halftime lead into a 36-19 advantage.
Evans made a driving layup and a jumper from the left elbow, and Jett followed with a driving layup of his own and a jumper just inside the 3-point arc to put Saint Louis on top 44-24.
Three-point buckets by McCall Jr. on consecutive possessions made it a 25-point lead, 57-32. Ellis nailed a pull-up baseline jumper and netted two free throws, and Remekun’s jump hook gave the Billikens a 63-32 lead. SLU led by as many as 37 points before settling for the final margin.
Saint Louis took command with an 8-0 first-half flurry. Remekun ignited the run with a 12-footer in the lane, and Ellis and Jett followed with a free throw apiece. Manning buried a pair of jump hooks to give SLU an 18-7 lead with 9:46 remaining.
Rockhurst narrowed the deficit to seven points twice, but the Hawks scored on just two of their final eight first-half possessions. Saint Louis claimed a 31-19 halftime lead with a 9-4 spurt comprised of Jett’s baseline drive, three Ellis free throws, and two charity tosses apiece by Evans and Remekun on 1-and-1 opportunities.
The Billikens open the regular season at home Friday, Nov. 9, against USC Upstate. Tip time at Chaifetz Arena is 7 p.m.
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