Redemption is sweet. Just ask Chris Braun.
With his recent late-game miscue against South Florida in mind, the red-shirt freshman rebounded and sparked our St. Louis University men’s basketball team to victory over the University of Alabama-Birmingham 78-61 last night at the Kiel Center.
Justin Love’s stellar play continued as he finished with a game high 26 points. He shot eight of 11 from the field, four of four from beyond the arc, and grabbed eight rebounds.
It was Braun, however, who stole the show. After missing a layup last Saturday that would have given the Billikens a 57-56 lead with only six seconds remaining, he had much to prove.
The 6-foot-10 inch forward did that, and much more. He silenced his critics by notching 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals while playing just 23 minutes.
“Chris has been coming in after class and before practice to work on his game. He’s going to be a big time basketball player for us,” said coach Lorenzo Romar.
His hard work has already begun to pay off.
SLU out-rebounded, out-hustled, and simply outplayed UAB as they shot 54 percent from the field and a remarkable 64 percent from three-point range. The Bills utilized their height advantage, as no UAB starter exceeded 6-foot-5 inches.
SLU banged it down low to Matt Baniak (eight points, four rebounds), Justin Tatum (nine points, five rebounds), and Braun. They also gave a cohesive defensive effort by silencing the Blazers’ high-octane playmakers.
“Tonight was another team effort. They average 78 points per game, and we held them to 61,” Romar said.
SLU dominated the game from the tip-off as they opened up a 16-6 lead in the first seven minutes. The turning point in the run came after a time-out, as Love slammed in a designed alley oop from Maurice Jeffers. Tatum’s jump hook inside the lane midway through the first half stretched the lead to 21-8.
A few minutes later, Troy Robertson showed his usual hustle as he made a diving save at the defensive end, then gave a nice inside pass to Tatum for two points.
Robertson was another spark off the bench in the first half for the Billikens. He finished with only three rebounds and three assists, but his tough defense and presence on the floor was a big reason the Bills maintained the lead.
“Troy is a senior. He’s a team captain. He’s a big part of the bench and I expect him to come in and play solid,” Romar said.
With less than four minutes left in the first half, Braun made his presence felt on the court. Following a strong rebound, he ran the length of the court to the top of the key, where he calmly knocked down a three pointer. On the next possession, it was deja vu. He made it 33-18 by once again draining a trey from the top of the arc. Nothing but net.
“I’ve been doing a lot of individual work shooting the three, and it is starting to pay off,” Braun said.
SLU finished the final four minutes of the half by going on a 11-5 run, and went into the locker room ahead 38-22.
The second half started, and before you could blink, Chris Heinrich had already picked up two fouls. Less than a minute into the half, he was taken out of the game after receiving his fourth foul.
With 16:35 left in the second, Marque Perry took a dish from Braun and hit a jumper from the left side. His score tied the largest margin of the game as SLU lead 46-26.
However, UAB wasn’t going to call it quits just yet. The Blazers quickly began a full-court press and cut the lead to 50-40 with little over 12:00 remaining.
The Billikens figured out the press and the Blazers would get no closer. Dave Fergerson scored 11 points and played 25 minutes.
Fan-favorite Drew Diener also chipped in two points and two rebounds in two minutes of action.
The win over the Blazers came after a tough 58-55 loss to South Florida on Saturday night. The Bulls snapped SLU’s three-game win streak.
SLU’s next home game at the Kiel Center is this Saturday afternoon against Houston at 1:05 p.m.
