Late game heroics were not enough to save the Saint Louis University Billikens this time.
Jordan Crawford and the Xavier Musketeers used a 16-point run-over five minutes into the second half to outmuscle SLU 73-71 in front of a season’s best 10,008, Feb. 24, at Chaifetz Arena. The loss snapped a six-game winning streak for the Billikens, who are now tied for fourth in the Atlantic 10 Conference with Charlotte, who has the tie breaker.
The Bills (18-9, 9-4) had three players go into double figures and were led by Kwamain Mitchell with 21 points. Cody Ellis and Willie Reed chipped in 19 and 18, respectively. SLU had a season-low six turnovers, but was out rebounded 28 to 42 by Xavier. The loss also puts the Billikens hopes of a NCAA berth into perspective; they may well have to win out to play in the dance.
“I’m proud of my guys because they never quit. They fought back and worked their [butts] off,” a subdued and visibly disappointed head coach Rick Majerus said. “Xavier is a good team; they are athletic, deep and old. That’s what you want to be.
“I’m frustrated because, a game like this one, you’re just a block out here, a couple free throws away [from winning]. It’s a tough loss for us … the culture of losing permeates everything that’s associated with us. I think we’re hanging in there. But we have issues.”
SLU had one of its best first halves of the season to kick off the Billiken Blizzard against Xavier. The Billikens and Musketeers fought for momentum for the first four minutes before SLU would start to pull away. They would lead by as much as seven off three-point treys from Ellis and Mitchell. Xavier kept it close with two free throws from Mark Lyons, but another three by Mitchell and one from Justin Jordan gave SLU a seven point lead again. Xavier only led by two, and not after the 18:52 minute mark.
SLU went to the locker room with a six point lead off a dunk by Reed. The Bills hit seven of 12 from outside the arc to pace the Musketeers. The Billikens also held Xavier, who leads the A-10 in three-point shooting, to just four shots over 20 minutes. The precursor to the second half, however, exists in this stat: SLU hit just one of its three free throws, whereas Xavier hit all three.
The Billikens looked to be in control for most of the second half. While Xavier continued to battle for each shot, SLU had an answer. In the first five minutes of the half, Mitchell, Kyle Cassity and Jordan all hit three-point shots. The game deteriorated quickly for SLU from there. With SLU up three, 49-46, the Musketeers went on a 16-0 run to take a commanding lead.
Ellis came alive, hitting a jumper with 6:37 left to play, then hit seven free throws to narrow Xavier’s lead to seven. Mitchell hit a jumper, followed by an Ellis lay-up, and another jumper from Mitchell brought the Billikens within three. With a chance to tie the game, Cassity missed a three. Reed, who was just 2-9 from the line, missed one and made one, but Mitchell, the usual hero, missed an open three, SLU’s last chance at victory.
Reed finished the game with his seventh double-double of the season. “I had a pretty good game individually, but none of that matters when we didn’t get the win … Free throw shooting has been going bad for me. It’s going to come. Every time I go to the line, I think about putting my teammates in the best position to win … we know we can do it; we just turn on and off. We’ve got to learn to keep it on.”
Things don’t get much easier for the Billikens. With just three games left in the regular season, SLU faces visits from Duquense on Saturday, Feb. 27, and No. 20 Temple on Wed., March 3; both games tipoff at Chaifetz Arena at 7 p.m. The Bills end the regular season on the road with a visit to Dayton on Saturday, March 6.
While a berth in the NCAA is still possible, the loss makes it increasingly more difficult to accomplish. A good showing in the A-10 Tournament, which kicks off March 9 in Atlantic City, could be the only road to the Dance. And to that end, the Billikens are assured at least a home opener, where they are 14-2 on the season.
