In a topsy-turvy contest marked by suffocating defense and momentum-swinging scoring runs, Saint Louis University’s women’s basketball team topped Fordham 64-54 to earn their first Atlantic 10 victory of the season

The win ended a six game  winless slide.

The victory was the first in over a month for the Billikens, despite leading scorer Lauren Woods having a tough shooting night.  Their last win came on Dec. 22 against Evansville.

Through the first 10 minutes of the game, a win already seemed to be slipping from the Bills grasp.

Fordham jumped out to an early 8-point lead, but as they would many times throughout the night, the Billikens hung tough and clawed their way back.

Ayriell Robinson hit a three with 10 minutes to go in the first half, setting the spark which would allow SLU to swing the momentum in their favor and gain a 15-14 lead.

“We talked to each other. We had to get better on defense and start taking the first good shot we get,” sophomore forward Mallory Eggert said.

Playing their characteristically tough-nosed defense, the Bills hung on to a slim two-point margin to close the half at 27-25.

That’s when things got really interesting.

Despite their halftime lead, SLU allowed Fordham to go on a 17-8 run in the first eight minutes of the second half. The next thing they knew, they were digging themselves out of a seven-point hole.

There was no quit in the team, however.

“Everyone had a go-getter attitude. There was energy on the bench and on the court” Eggert said. “We just wanted it more than them.”

The Billikens immediately responded with a 7-1 two-minute scoring run, cutting the deficit to 43-42 and putting themselves in position to take the lead.

However, Fordham regained its composure with a quick three-pointer and built a five-point lead with six minutes to go.

With the momentum swaying towards Fordham, the Bills once again dug deep and found a way to trim the deficit, forcing a turnover and scoring on a fast-break layup with less than five minutes to play.

This time, the Billikens were not going to let the Rams back into the game.

Smelling blood in the water, SLU continued to attack the basket, knocking down tough jumpers in the lane and getting to the free throw line.

In a stretch of four minutes, the Bills went on an 11-1 scoring run, finally putting Fordham away.

When all was said and done, SLU walked away with a huge home victory and entered the win column in the A-10 standings.

Sophomore guard Jacy Bradley absolutely went off against the Rams, posting 17 points in 24 minutes.

Embodying the toughness with which the team played, Bradley got to the foul line four times, knocking down all eight of her free throw attempts.

Eggert continued her emergence as a post-presence, notching eight points and pulling down seven boards.

Although Bradley posted big scoring numbers, everyone in the building knew that the Billiken’s suffocating defense was the MVP of the game.

In the second half, Fordham shot only 28 percent from the field.

Most of the Rams misses came during the nine-minute stretch to close the game in which the Billikens did not allow a single field goal.

The team employs high-intensity defensive drills in practice to boost their defensive stamina and efficiency while allowing the squad to clamp down in the closing minutes. “We run a minute-and –thirty-second-long drill called persist defense. We want that minute and thirty seconds to go all the way down without the offense to score. “

“We really battle each other. It helps us a lot in the games, being prepared for a minute and a half.

If we only last 30 seconds on defense in practice, we get in trouble,” Eggert said.

The Billikens host a battle-tested Charlotte team on Jan. 30. Charlotte comes in boasting a 15-5 (3-2) overall record, winning four of their last five and being one of the few teams in the nation who held undefeated and No. 3 Duke to a single digit victory margin.

The game should provide insight into how competitive SLU can be during the remainder of the A-10 schedule.

Regardless, there is no doubting that putting that first tally in the conference victory column will give the boost heading into the rest of A-10 play.

Perhaps the Billikens are tapping into their wealth of talent. If they are able to continue this level of defensive intensity while bringing their offense up to pace, they have the potential to make some noise.

“[The win] picks up our spirits for sure. We know how hard we work and that we’re better than our record indicates. Now we have a chance to show people that,” Eggert said.