In front of a sold-out Chaifetz Arena on Friday night, No. 21 Saint Louis University defeated its longtime conference rival, the Dayton Flyers, 102-71.
The Billikens extended their remarkable winning streak to 15 games and improved to an overall record of 21-1. The school record is currently 19 consecutive wins, set by the 2013-2014 squad that advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. As of the latest AP men’s college basketball poll, the Billikens have moved up two slots to No. 19.
The Billikens’ last matchup was a nail-biter win against George Washington University on Tuesday, Jan. 27. The Billikens narrowly escaped with a win after trailing by as many as 15 points in the second half. The comeback win was clinched by Robbie Avila’s 3-pointer with a few seconds left in the game.
Despite Avila and point guard Trey Green combining for 45 points, the Billikens knew they would have to execute a much more cohesive 40 minutes against the Flyers’ experienced roster.
Once the Billikens won the opening tip-off Friday night, they never looked back. They quickly acquired an 11-3 lead, as Dayton scored the next 4 to cut the lead in half.
Unfortunately for the Flyers, that is as close as the margin would get all night. An electric 3-pointer from Green brought the score to 27-11, and a later 10-0 run by the Billikens brought their largest first-half lead to 42-18 at the 4:04 mark.
Guard Quentin Jones had one of the night’s most impressive moments late in the first half. High-flyer Kellen Thames stole the inside pass from Dayton point guard Javon Bennett, and he was ready to take it coast-to-coast. Bryce Heard got in Thames’ way just enough to throw his shot off balance.
Bennett thought he had an easy rebound, but Jones swiftly leapt from outside the restricted area, soaring over him to slam the ball back into its place. Jones stared Bennett down as he brought the ball up for the Flyers’ offense. Jones forced another turnover on that possession, perfectly characterizing SLU’s dominance over Dayton throughout the night.
Entering halftime, SLU led 46-29.
Dayton outscored SLU 23-9 to open the second half, which cut the lead down to 10. After a Dayton turnover, however, the Billikens regained their momentum and went on an assertive 12-0 run.
The Billiken lead never dipped below 20 points for the rest of the game.
Green was the player of the game. The talented point guard tied his career high in points for the second consecutive game with 23. Jones also finished with 18 points and five rebounds. Ishan Sharma, always a threat from beyond the arc, delivered with six three-pointers, matching Jones’ total of 18.
In a post-game press conference, Coach Schertz said he was proud of the tough but respectful basketball his team played.
“We did a good job of walking the line of playing with emotion, which you need, and not playing emotional,” Schertz said. “We have a deep respect for Dayton, so that’s what makes it so special … it was just a great night all the way around.”
On a post-game panel with Jones, Green said the crowd had a huge impact on the energy of the game.
“When you got a crowd like tonight — you know a sold-out crowd, the student section going crazy in warmups — that’s what helps build that 24-point lead. It goes a long way,” Green said.
Echoing Coach Schertz’s sentiment of friendly competition between SLU and Dayton, Green said the crowd’s energy uplifted the team in the face of pregame banter.
“You felt that energy from warmups until the end of the game. We came in with a chip on our shoulder,” Green said.
The win marked the seventh time the Billikens have surpassed the 100-point mark this season, another school record. In addition, 102 points is the most SLU has ever recorded against Dayton.
Aware of the annual “Billiken Blizzard” and the team’s magical run, students packed the section’s 119 bleachers as early as 90 minutes before game time Friday night.
Taylor Matter, a junior studying business technology management, attended the game and won $100 in the Royal Banks of Missouri 3-shot challenge. He said he had a great time at the game and was glad his challenge win heightened the energy.
“The game was nothing short of electric, and it showed the type of team those boys can be in that kind of matchup,” Matter said. “Even though the Bills won by 30, the student section was rocking all game long … I was happy to contribute to the atmosphere Friday night.”
The Bare Naked Statues (BNS), SLU’s all-male a cappella group, led a compelling rendition of the national anthem, which was joined by an eager student section.
“We were so grateful for the opportunity to sing the Anthem,” freshman BNS member Jaron Dimac said. “They [the student section] could use some practice with their notes and slowing down, but we loved the energy behind us. It was still electric.”
SLU will head to Davidson, North Carolina, to face the Wildcats for its next game on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at 8 p.m. CST at Belk Arena. The game will air on CBS Sports Network, where the Billikens will look to continue this historic run.
