“Let’s Go Dancing” was the chant from the student section with a minute left in the game after the Billikens rallied from 10 down in the first half to win the game by double-digits, 70-59.
This game was extremely important for multiple reasons: The Billikens are now seeded in the Atlantic 10 tournament next week, they gained a key win for their NCAA Tournament resume and most importantly, it was the final game at Chaifetz Arena for seniors Brian Conklin and Kyle Cassity.
“The night was really all about them, I know it was hard for them, but I am very proud of both them,” Head Coach Rick Majerus said.
The Bills (23-6, 11-4 A-10) were lead by senior Brian Conklin who scored 23 points and collected six rebounds in his final game at Chaifetz. Kwamain Mitchell scored 14 points, and Mike McCall Jr., scored 10 points and collected 7 rebounds.
The first half did not start off well, as Xavier jumped out to the early 11-4 lead thanks to two early 3-pointers by Dezmine Wells and Mark Lyons. However, the Billikens responded after the first official time out going on a 9-2 run. The run was capped by a Jordair Jett layup after he stole the ball away from Xavier’s Brad Redford.
However, after that point, the Bills went cold as Xavier began to extend a lead into double-digits with 7:01 remaining in the first half. The Xavier lead would remain at about 10 throughout the remainder of the half. Xavier took a 39-29 lead into halftime.
In the first half, SLU shot 33.3 percent from the field and only made two of their 3-point attempts.
Xavier on the other hand shot 51.9 percent from the field and made four out of seven of their 3-point attempts. Xavier rebounded the Bills 22-14 in the first half.
The second half was a completely different story. The Bills began to shoot the ball very well, while Xavier began missing most of their shots.
SLU quickly closed the Xavier lead to a 4-point advantage. Xavier called a timeout, but then Mitchell hit a 3-pointer, which cut the Xavier lead down to one with 15:51 left in the second half.
The play that shifted momentum into the Billikens’ favor was when they were down 1, and Dezmine Wells wiffed on a dunk that would have put the Bills down 3, but the Bills responded with a Brian Conklin basket at the other end that put the Bills in the lead for good, 41-40.
The Bills went on a 24-3 run to open the second half, which gave the Billikens a double-digit lead. Xavier could not respond and drew a technical foul with about seven minutes left in the game.
After the game, Conklin and Cassity spoke to the crowd and thanked the fans, the Saintsations, the pep band, faculty and staff, the students and their teammates. After Conklin and Cassity spoke, the team went into the student section to embrace the students for their support.
“This was the best crowd I’ve ever seen in my four years here,” Conklin said.
The game had the second-largest crowd in Chaifetz Arena, with 10,441 in attendance. The student section was very loud and the normally quiet and reversed crowd was very energetic most of the game.
This was special moment. Majerus at the press conference had tears in his eyes when speaking about Conklin and Cassity and their achievements both on and off the court.
“Both of these guys graduated with honors, and I have one Academic All-American,” Majerus said.
SLU more than likely knocked Xavier out of the NCAA tournament with the win. The Bills’ win secures a first round bye in the A-10 tournament and a likely No. 2 seed in the tournament.
The Bills will conclude their A-10 regular season this Saturday in Pittsburgh against Duquesne at 11 a.m.
