Fordham turned in a performance worthy of the St. Louis Rams and the Saint Louis University Billikens capitalized on a weak defense, putting up an impressive 75-48 win Wednesday night at the Chaifetz Arena. SLU advances to 12-6 and a surprising 3-1 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.
It was an all-around impressive night for the Billikens; four players went into double figures with sophomore Brian Conklin leading with 15 points; Cody Ellis had 14, Kwamain Mitchell put up 13 and Willie Reed added 10.
Lance Brown had 15 points and eight rebounds for Fordham, which has lost 10 in a row with all but one by double figures. They are now 2-15 and have not won a conference game.
“Everyone hustled and played hard,” head coach Rick Majerus said. “Everyone contributed and they are learning to give a better effort. What I liked is that we didn’t play the score or the opponent down the stretch, they played against their ability to get better, and that showed some maturation on our part.”
This is the third-straight game where Ellis has been in the top two scorers, something captain Mitchell has not missed.
“They told me he can shoot, but man, he’s knocking them down. He’s got that pick and pop. He has great effort, he’s very smart and good outside, and I’m glad he’s here.”
The game was never close; and after going into overtime in the last two contests, SLU needed a game like this. The Billikens scored 11 of the first 13 points of the contest, punctuated by a Jon Smith dunk. Smith, a freshman, has 29 points over the last three contests. At 10:23, SLU was already up by double figures and would never have to worry about a surging Fordham.
Saint Louis went on a 12-6 spurt to close the first session, taking a 42-24 advantage into halftime. A Smith dunk triggered the surge, while Ellis and Mitchell contributed to the cause with a pair of treys. A steal and layup at the buzzer by Mitchell sent the Billikens into halftime with the 18-point lead.
The momentum continued in the second half for SLU. A Kyle Cassity three-pointer put the Billikens up by 28, and SLU would hold a 30 point lead off and on for the majority of the second half. The team shot over 48 percent from the field in the half and made three of four from the line.
“Coming out of the Charlotte game with that sting, that helped us come out well and take care of business … it feels really good to be 3-1,” Cassity said. “I don’t think many people thought that’d be the case. Hopefully this will keep going.”
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect of the night was SLU’s foul line shooting. On the night, the Bills shot just over 55 percent and hit only six of its 20 attempts from behind the arc. “We hit some shots tonight, but … our issue is scoring, not usually defending.”
In related news, SLU has lost redshirt freshman Femi John to a knee injury. John, who had reconstructive surgery on his knee last season, reinjured the knee against Charlotte. Currently his status is day-to-day. “Femi is an extremely dedicated, motivated student-athlete who will do everything he can to get back on the court as soon as possible,” head athletic trainer Jonathan Burch said.
Freshman Jeff Reid has also not returned from a concussion incurred Nov. 28 against Notre Dame. Majerus said the team’s goal is to get Reid academically eligible before they consider whether or not to medically redshirt him.
