Saint Louis University fell to No. 12 Kansas 73-59 in the finals of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City.
A barrage of threes from senior Cody Ellis pulled the Billikens within nine with just under four minutes left, but the Jayhawks responded with an 8-0 run to ice the victory. Senior Jeff Withey accounted for six of KU’s final eight points to finish with a game-high 25 points. The 7-foot center was a force defensively as well, blocking six Billiken shots.
Three players finished in double-figures for the Billikens, including Ellis, who registered a team-high 19. Mike McCall Jr. (13 points) and Cory Remekun (10) were SLU’s other top scorers.
As a team, the Bills hit just 18 of 52 shots from the field and committed 12 turnovers. Despite facing a significant height disadvantage, Saint Louis held its own on the boards, matching KU’s 31 rebounds.
The Billikens, who are already playing without guards Kwamain Mitchell and Keith Carter, sustained another blow early in the first half when Jordair Jett sustained what appeared to be a groin injury. Jett’s absence left McCall as SLU’s only guard.
Travis Releford scored 21 of his 23 points in the first half, registering four three-pointers through the opening 20 minutes.
Tuesday’s loss drops Saint Louis to 2-2 on the season. They will look to move above the .500 mark Saturday evening against SIU-Edwardsville at Chaifetz Arena. Tip-off is set for 7 pm.

An updated recap complete with quotes and analysis will be available shortly.