Dec. 23, 1999
DAYTON, OHIO - Saint Louis (7-3) snapped a seven-game non-conference road losing streak by beating Dayton 83-74 tonight before 12,591 at UD Arena. Billikens senior guard Justin Love poured in 27 points, while junior forward Justin Tatum added 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Playing its third game in five nights, the Flyers came out slowly and watched the Billikens surge to a 14-4 lead only five minutes into the game. Love drained a pair of threes in the early SLU run.
The Billikens led 30-19 when the Flyers made their first rally to cut into the lead. UD took its only lead of the game with 27 seconds remaining in the half when Nate Green laid a ball in off the glass. But Love drilled another three with three seconds to play to provide Saint Louis with 37-35 lead at the break.
After Dayton tied the game at 37 on a Tony Stanley jumper to begin the second half, Saint Louis took command again. The Bills utilized their size advantage and went right to 6-foot-11 center Chris Heinrich for their first two buckets and regained the lead.
Saint Louis slowly built on that margin. Dave Fergerson and Troy Robertson hit back-to-back threes, and Fergerson knocked down two free throws with 5:09 remaining and the Bills led 67-55. Dayton went to its full-court pressure and caused turnovers to close within 69-65 at the 1:55 mark on a pair of Brooks Hall free throws.
The Billikens didn't wilt under the pressure, and Love, Fergerson and Marque Perry were 12-12 from the line in the final minute of play to hold off the Flyers. Saint Louis shot 91.3 percent from the line for the game to complement their 55.1 percent from the field. The Bills also shot 57.1 percent from behind the arc.
"Dave Fergerson made senior plays tonight," Romar said. "He kept us in our offense for the most part and made free throws that we had to have. That's why he was this team's co-MVP last year."
Dayton's usually efficient offense was forced into 18 turnovers by the Billikens' pressure defense, and Flyer point guards Edwin Young and David Morris each had five. Billiken forward Maurice Jeffers did an excellent job of containing Flyers leading scorer Tony Stanley, who finished with 10 points on 4-14 shooting.
Center Mark Ashman led the Flyers with 19 points, while Morris and Hall finished with 16 and 18, respectively.
The Billikens challenge 11th-ranked Kansas at Kansas City's Kemper Arena on Thu., Dec. 30.
