Courtesy of SLUBillikens.com.
ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis junior guard Mike McCall Jr. led four Billikens in double figures with 14 points, and Saint Louis yielded a season low in points in a 65-44 victory against Loyola Marymount Saturday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.
The win, SLU’s fifth in a row, improves its record to 8-3. Loyola Marymount, which defeated the Billiken last season in Los Angeles, dips to 5-6.
McCall Jr., who came into the game leading the league in three-point field goal percentage, hit 4-of-8 from long range to help account for his 14 points. He hit three consecutive treys in the first three minutes as the Billikens built a 12-2 lead and never looked back.
Junior guard Jordair Jett recorded 11 points and posted team highs of five assists and three steals. Junior forwardJake Barnett registered a career-high 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, while junior forward Dwayne Evanswas one rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine boards.
It was the second straight time the Billikens, who lead the A-10 in scoring defense, yielded a season low in points. They held Eastern Illinois to 45 points in the last outing on Dec. 19. Opponents are scoring just 56.7 ppg against the Billikens this season.
Saint Louis led wire-to-wire for the second straight outing. LMU responded to the Billikens 12-2 start with a 9-0 run, but Jett converted a traditional three-point play to thwart the rally. An Evans bucket, followed by a traditional 3-point play by Rob Loe, was part of a 13-0 spurt for the Billikens. SLU took a 19-point lead into halftime (37-18), its largest halftime lead of the season.
SLU never let Loyola Marymount back into the contest, holding a double-digit advantage for all of the second half. LMU trailed by 11 at the 14:09 mark, but the Billikens answered with an 8-0 run to put the game out of reach.
The Billikens continue their nine-game homestand Friday, Dec. 28, when they welcome SIUE to Chaifetz Arena for a 7 p.m. tip. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest.
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