The Saint Louis University Billikens may be post-season champions, after all.
The 23-11 Billikens took down Princeton 69-59 on Wednesday, March 24, to advance to the College Basketball Invitational Championship. They will face Virginia Commonwealth University in a best-of-three series that starts Monday in Richmond, Va. SLU will return home for game two at Chaifetz Arena, which will tip off at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 31, while game three, if necessary, is slated for a 7 p.m. start at Chaifetz Arena, Friday, April 2.
Kwamain Mitchell led all players with 20 points, while Willie Reed knocked in 20 for the Billikens. Reed also collected 10 rebounds, giving him nine double-doubles on the season. Brian Conklin and Cody Ellis both finished with nine points for the Bills.
“Princeton is a good club. They don’t beat themselves, you have to beat them,” head coach Rick Majerus said. “Our defense was good again; it’s hard to score against us. It’s been our staple. Our guys were really well prepared for having one day of preparation. It was a good win for us.”
Both teams started hot, trading the lead for most of the first half; each team had cleared 20 points by the 9:30 mark. The teams continued to trade jabs until a tip-in by Reed started a Billiken run that would put them up by nine at the half. Ellis scored two free throws, and Reed got a dunk, in addition to a Mitchell lay-up.
SLU shot a blistering 57.7 percent in the first half against one of the best defenses in the nation. Mitchell was almost perfect, hitting six of his eight attempts from the field, including going two for three from outside the arc, to pace the game with 17 first-half points.
“I came prepared to play, I was in the zone, and everything I shot was falling,” Mitchell said. “I was excited to play a good team, and we were playing the same offense that Richmond runs, so I knew what to expect. They were big and strong down low, and it was a different look for us. We tried to stay patient on offense and let the game come to us.”
The Bills continued their hot shooting into the second half. They would go up by as much as 17 after a Kyle Cassity three-pointer before the Tigers would try to claw their way back into the game. At the 13:59 mark, Princeton had the lead into the single-digits before back-to-back-to-back layups from Reed, Christian Salecich and Conklin would advance the lead to 14.
But the Tigers weren’t done. Taking advantage of missed shots and an Ellis turnover, a deep three by Douglas Davis and a layup by Zach Finley closed the gap to six. Clutch free throw shooting by the Billikens would keep SLU from letting the Tigers pounce. Reed hit two to keep the lead at 11, and Conklin sealed the deal with two of his own with 1:42 remaining. Both Mitchell and Salecich would visit the line, giving SLU the padding to advance to the championship.
“We put ourselves in the opportunity to knock down good shots,” Reed said about the win. “It’s always exciting to play for a championship. I really believe we are going to play our hearts out for this; we’re playing for each other and for our city, and we’re all excited.”
The Billikens finished the game shooting a hot 54.5 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from the arc. They are only the third team this season to shoot over 50 percent against Princeton. SLU also hit 63.0 percent of their free throw shots. They dominated underneath, getting 32 points in the paint compared to just 24 for the Tigers. Due to the loss of Justin Jordan to injury, SLU received just nine points, all from Conklin, off the bench.
In related Billikens news, SLU fans will get a chance to see incoming freshmen Mike McCall and Dwayne Evans at Harris-Stowe on Sat., March 27, when they participate in the Mid-West All-Star Classic. Tip-off is expected at 7:30 p.m. and admission is free.
