The Saint Louis University women's basketball team tried to start fresh with the beginning of conference play, but they continued their losing streak with their 11th and 12th straight losses this season. The Billikens were able to come close to Charlotte, with a final score of 74-65 last Friday, but were unable to get near East Carolina, who beat the Bills 66-40 on Sunday.
The 49ers jumped out to a large early lead at 16-3, with Andrea Davidson making three three-pointers, scoring 11 of Charlotte's first 13 points.
The Bills scored only once in over eight minutes, with Rachel Diener scoring a three pointer to put the Bills on the board. Freshman Mia Johnson was next to put up points for the Bills, sinking two free throws. The 49ers, however, were able to stretch their lead 22-5.
The Bills went without a field goal for almost nine minutes, until Brittany Artis scored. With six minutes left in the half, the 49ers took a 20-point lead, bringing the score to 30-10.
The Billikens were able to sink two baskets, one by Jackie Gilbert and the other by Marquita McFarland. Before the end of the half, the 49ers were able to score four more points and regain a 19-point lead at the half, 34-15.
The second half opened much like the first with the 49ers going on an 11-3 run, increasing their lead by 28 points. SLU then went on a 13-2 run of their own over the next three minutes, cutting the 49ers lead to 49-33 with just under 13 minutes left in the game. McFarland started the run by scoring seven straight points, prompting Charlotte to call a timeout.
The Bills fell behind again, this time by 20, but put on another run to try to get back in the game by scoring 10 unanswered points, including a three-pointer to beat the shot clock buzzer by Diener. With just over eight minutes to play, the Bills had come within eight points, 53-45, the closest the Bills would get to the 49ers in the game.
SLU forward McFarland had career highs, posting a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Johnson added 10 points while Krystle Hatton, Diener and Ava Smith each added nine. Saint Louis only shot 21.7 percent from the floor in the first half, whereas Charlotte shot 37.5 percent.
The Bills' shooting percentage increased in the second half, making 21 out of 34 shots. They also out-shot Charlotte, shooting 61.8 percent to the 49ers' 31.4 percent.
The Bills' second Conference USA game did not turn out any better, as the Bills lost to East Carolina 66-40 on Sunday.
The Pirates jumped out early on the Billikens and found themselves up 11-2 in the first five minutes of play. A three-pointer by Johnson sparked a 14-3 SLU run to take their only lead of the game, 16-14, with nine minutes left until the half. It would not last.
East Carolina then looked inside for points and went on a 10-0 run, bringing them to a 28-18 lead at the half.
The Pirates began the second half with an 11-3 run in the first five minutes out of the locker room and then went on to take a 20-point lead midway through the half. The Billikens were not able to come back from the deficit.
Johnson led the Bills with 14 points, 12 of them from three pointers. SLU shot 28.6 percent from the field to the Pirates' 45 percent.
The Bills fall to 1-14 overall and 0-2 in conference play. They will host their first Conference-USA game this weekend, Jan. 14 at 7 p.m. against Southern Miss, and then on Sunday, Jan. 16 at 2 p.m. against Tulane at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center.
