Heading into its game against Fordham University, the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team knew to watch out for Bryant Dunston, a Fordham senior who averages nearly 15 points per game.
Dunston, though, matched his game average in the first half alone with 15 points and finished the game with 30. For the first 12 minutes on Wednesday, Feb. 20, Dunston was the only player to score for the Rams, making the team’s first 11 points.
“Dunston is going to be a career pro,” Head Men’s Basketball Coach Rick Majerus said. “He is going to be like Reggie Slater, one of those guys. He is a guy that is going to last forever because he can rebound, he’s tough and he can defend. We did everything you could do to him, and he still had a big night.”
Trailing by nine points at the half, the Billikens came out in the second half with a revised game plan to contain Dunston.
Junior guard Tommie Liddell III helped out down low with the double team and allowed Dunston only three field goals in the second half, compared to his six in the first half.
“The coaches wanted me to be more aggressive,” Liddell said. “They were looking for me to drive more. I just wanted to come out and take what the defense gives me.”
The Bills’ strong defensive efforts had positive effects on their offense, as they went on an 11-1 run in the second half to tie the game at the 14:17 mark.
The lead went back and forth until the Bills opened a five-point lead with five minutes left. The team was up three points with 21 seconds left in the game, when Fordham’s Marcus Stout sank a long-range 3-pointer with four seconds left to send the game into overtime.
Fordham scored first in overtime, but 3-pointers from junior guard Kevin Lisch and junior forward Barry Eberhardt put the Bills up with 1:26 to play. The Rams were looking for the tying basket on their last possession of the game, but the Billiken defense forced a turnover and made free throws for the 69-65 victory.
“After we broke from the huddle in the locker room, the coaches said we would have lost this game a month ago,” Liddell said. “I think we are doing a better job as a team. This was a big win for us.”
