The Saint Louis Billikens (19-13, 11-7 A-10) defeated the Davidson Wildcats (17-16, 6-12 A-10) 83-75 on Thursday night in the second round of the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament. The Billikens move on to the quarterfinals to face known foe, fourth-seeded Loyola Chicago.
Game Recap
Saint Louis started strong, building a 13-point lead in the first half and taking a 36-31 advantage into halftime. After surrendering the game’s first basket, SLU went on a dominant 13-2 run and led by as many as 17-4 in the opening minutes. Gibson Jimerson and Isaiah Swope each had 11 points at the break.
However, Davidson fought back, going up 51-47 with just under 11 minutes remaining. The Billikens responded with an 11-0 run, but Davidson answered with three straight 3-pointers to retake the lead. Swope, who has the clutch gene, drilled back-to-back threes to put SLU ahead for good.
Connor Kochera led the Wildcats with 18 points but a lack of help on that end of the floor costed Davidson in the end.
Key Performances
Isaiah Swope led SLU with 26 points, shooting 9-for-15 from the field and hitting five 3-pointers.
Gibson Jimerson added 25 points, draining six 3-pointers and collecting six rebounds.
Amari McCottry posted a career-high 15 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting night.
Robbie Avila notched a double-double with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and a game-high seven assists.
Records & Notable Stats
Jimerson broke Erwin Claggett’s SLU single-season 3-point record, surpassing the 103 mark set in 1994-95. He now sits at 109 threes this season.
SLU’s 12 three-pointers tied the program’s record for most in an A-10 Tournament game.
The Billikens’ 83 points were the third-most they have scored in A-10 Tournament history.
SLU covered the -3.5 spread and the total score went OVER the 141.5 line.
Personally, a Gibson Jimerson o19.5 points + SLU ML parlay (+154) cashed in my favor.
What’s Next:
Saint Louis now advances to the quarterfinals of the A-10 Tournament where they will face fourth-seeded Loyola Chicago on Friday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. CST. The Billikens have previously faced LUC two times this season and are 1-1 with Saint Louis notching the latest win on March 1st.