Senior Matt Baniak may have said it best: “We want a little revenge.”
Yes, Revenge. It is a human phenomenon. For the Saint Louis University Billikens, however, it is a necessity in order to remain in the hunt for the Conference USA championship.
The Billikens will have payback on their mind as they hit the road to face the Marquette Golden Eagles at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee this Sunday at noon.
The Eagles, 11-8 overall and 6-2 in the conference, handed the Billikens a devastating 73-64 home loss on Jan. 24 at the Savvis Center. The Billikens came home to wipe the slate clean with a victory on Sunday and improve on their 12-9 overall record and break .500 in conference play.
“The loss at home to Marquette was a tough loss, but if we beat them at their place, it will wipe that defeat away. We are in a good position to do that. It is one of the benefits of playing conference teams twice in a season.
“We need a victory on Sunday. It will put us a game closer to the conference lead,” said coach Lorenzo Romar.
SLU is now two games out of first place in the American Division of the conference. With a victory on Sunday and a Marquette loss to Louisville, the Billikens would have a chance to sit atop their division.
“We are playing for a post-season berth right now. This game is a key factor in determining the rest of our season,” Romar said.
The Billikens’ defense will have their hands full trying to contain the offensive threat posed by Brian Wardle.
In the teams’ earlier meeting, Wardle scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half, as he led the Eagles to a comeback victory. The senior guard has pestered SLU’s defense the past two years and is one of the conference’s top scoring threats. Romar said that he plans on handing Maurice Jeffers the duty of defending the lethal shooter.
“They are a good team. They will come out and try to get the ball to Wardle. He is a great shooter, but the Louisville game really gave us some confidence on defense. We are playing better on that side of the game. We are hoping to contain him, and I think Jeffers is the one to do it,” Romar said.
SLU hopes to keep the Golden Eagles from shooting over 50 percent from the field. In their previous meeting, Marquette lit up the court by shooting 65 percent in the second half.
Defensive struggles, of late, have been the cause of second half collapses by the Billikens in key conference games against the Eagles and DePaul.
In Saturday’s 72-51 victory at Louisville, the Billikens’ defense did not falter in the second half. Instead, it dominated. SLU stepped up its second half intensity and ran away with a conference victory on the road. The Billikens played defense the way they knew they could.
“It was a game that we definitely were prepared for. We had a minimum of mistakes both physically and mentally. If our concentration is there, like it was against Louisville, we can play really well,” Romar said.
The Billikens took a 27-25 lead into the half. The intensity picked up in the second half, as SLU shot 60 percent from the field. Jeffers, Baniak and sophomore Marque Perry contributed 13 points each.
Sophomore Josh Fisher also looked impressive as he threw in 11 points.
Freshman Jason Edwin received his first start in a Billiken jersey. He responded with great success. The versatile forward scored eight first half points, grabbing five rebounds and dishing three assists.
“It was good to see him play so well. He has a great talent, but he has been coming off the bench all season. He deserved to be in there. He has maintained a great attitude about his role. His play helped our team win the game,” Romar said.
Though he struggled from the field, Perry was a perfect 10 of 10 at the charity stripe. Romar credited superb free throw shooting as one deciding factor in the victory.
“Marque played a good game. If we keep up the combination of making foul shots and working hard on the defensive end, we will have success. Marque did a good job of that. Our team shot 77 percent from the line. That is impressive,” Romar said.
The big man play of Baniak also impressed his coach. His play down low was effective as he shot four of five from the floor. But Baniak credited the team for putting together such a strong performance on the road.
“The whole team came together and played well. We had our backs against the wall. But we pulled together like we needed to do and came away with a victory,” Baniak said.
“This win will definitely give us momentum. We played harder on defense than usual. It paid off,” Baniak said.
The overall factor in the victory over Louisville was the success of the SLU defense, especially in the second half.
“We defended them well. They have good shooters, but our defensive play allowed us to control the game. If you hold Louisville to only 51 points at home, you have played good defense,” Romar said.
“This victory really gives us confidence to finish strong down the stretch and hopefully reach the post-season,” Romar said.
