Nov. 21, 1999
ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis University freshman guard Marque Perry led a first-half surge that carried the Billikens past UNC Asheville 84-72 this afternoon at Kiel Center. Perry finished with a game-high 17 points and handed out six assists, while Justin Tatum turned in his first career double-double to keep the Billikens unbeaten at 3-0.
The Bulldogs led 10-6 when Perry entered the game and changed the tempo completely. Saint Louis surged ahead on a 23-2 run and never relinquished the lead. Perry provided seven of those points. Saint Louis cruised to a 50-32 halftime advantage behind 61.1 percent shooting from the field.
"Marque not only gets things done quickly, but he does it with purpose," Bills head coach Lorenzo Romar said. "He's always putting pressure on the defense and keeping the heat on."
The Billikens pushed the lead to 20 to begin the second half, and maintained a safe margin throughout most of the second half. Although the Bills led by 16 with 5:51 to play, the Bulldogs closed within 10 at the 2:52 mark. Saint Louis answered with a lay-up by Braun, a pair of free throws by Perry and a Dave Fergerson lay-up to stem the tide.
Tatum got his first career start in place of Matt Baniak, who sat out the game with an ankle sprain sustained in practice yesterday. Tatum collected 14 points on 71.4 percent (5-of-7) shooting from the floor, grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds and blocked three shots.
The Billikens also received a lift from Chris Braun, who played 26 minutes in relief of center Chris Heinrich. Heinrich was saddled with foul trouble throughout the game and played only 12 minutes before fouling out. Braun responded with 14 points and six boards.
Billiken scoring leader Justin Love finished with 12 points to round out SLU's double-figure scorers. Love matched Perry for the team high in assists with six.
The Bulldogs had five players in double figures with guard Brett Carey leading the way with 14 points. Forward John Risinger and back-up guard Brandon Carter each tossed in 13 points. Seven-foot center Adam Earnhardt and guard Andre Smith each chipped in 10
Saint Louis (3-0) completes its four-game homestand to open the season by hosting Louisiana Tech on Sat., Nov. 27, at 1:05 p.m. at Kiel. UNC Asheville dropped to 0-2.
