For a team that has struggled dearly on the road this season, it was fitting that the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team found relief in the city of brotherly love.
Behind the efforts of sophomore guard Tommie Liddell and tight defense down the stretch, the Bills notched their first road win of the conference season with a 73-62 win over Saint Joseph’s in Philadelphia.
It was SLU’s first road victory since a 67-60 win on Dec. 12 at Pacific in Stockton, Calif.
The win moved the Bills (14-8, 4-4) into a tie for sixth place in the conference, two games behind first place squads George Washington, Rhode Island and Fordham.
Saint Joe’s fell to 12-9 and 4-4 in the Atlantic 10.
The Bills, who, up to this point, have been plagued by inconsistency, have Liddell to thank for almost single-handedly keeping them afloat in the quagmire that is the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The Bills found themselves down 60-58 with less than six minutes to play, when the sophomore from East St. Louis took over.
Liddell hit three straight jump shots, followed by a layup and two free throws, putting the Hawks away for good. ?
He finished with 21 points in the game.? Before Liddell’s 10-point explosion, the game had endured 18 lead changes.
This season Liddell has established himself as one of the conference’s most dangerous players.?
He leads the A-10 in three-point field goal percentage and is in the top 10 in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage. ?
While Liddell provided the firepower on the offensive end, the Bills played their trademark defense when it mattered most, holding St. Joe’s to two field goals in the last six minutes of the game.
Liddell’s backcourt mates Kevin Lisch and Dwayne Polk added 19 and 12 points, respectively, for the Bills.?
SLU shot a blistering 70 percent from behind the arc, nailing seven of 10 treys and went 28-54 from the field in the win.
Ahmad Nivins led Saint Joseph’s with 14 points; Pat Calathes added 11 points and had 13 boards.
The Bills won’t have long to celebrate the victory-conference- leading George Washington comes to the Scottrade Center tomorrow for another critical conference game.?
Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. SLU lost a heartbreaker to the Colonials last year, who went on to take the A-10 regular season crown with an undefeated record. The Bills are 11-2 at home this year.
