The Billikens have defeated the La Salle Explorers in the Atlantic 10 quarter finals, 78-71. The Bills (25-6) advance to the A-10 semifinals against either Xavier or Dayton. Saint Louis was led by Mike McCall Jr. who scored 16 points, and Kwamain Mitchell who scored 15 points and had 7 assists. Brian Conklin had 14 points and Jordair Jett scored 13 points off the bench. The Bills had a balanced attack as these four scored in double figures.

The Bills jumped out to the early 14-2 lead. Dwayne Evans made a three-pointer which gave the Bills the early 12-point advantage. However, the Explorers would rally and go on an 11-0 run to cut the Bills lead to one with 9:36 left in the half. SLU fought the remainder of the first half and took a six point lead 35-29 at halftime.

SLU in the second half slowly built their lead and gained a double-digit lead on a Jett 3-pointer with 13:02 left in the half. The Bills had a 12-point lead with 11:59 and seemed to have the game in hand.  However, the Explorers had another rally that slowly chipped away at the Bills’ lead.

La Salle’s Jerrell Wright made a dunk with 4:39 which left the Billikens ahead by one, 57-56. This was the closest La Salle got, but they never gained the lead. The Bills time after time responded when the Explorers made the game close thanks to clutch baskets by McCall Jr., Mitchell and Conklin.

With 28 seconds left, McCall Jr. made a layup and was fouled which sealed the deal for the Bills. The Explorers were led by Earl Pettis who scored 18 points in the losing effort.

The Bills will play either Xavier or Dayton in the A-10 semifinals. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network at 2:30 p.m. central time.