Saint Louis overcame a seven-point deficit with 5:29 remaining and topped Cincinnati 71-62 in a Conference USA men's basketball game this afternoon before a paid crowd of 13,732 at Savvis Center. Billikens senior forward
Justin Tatum threw in a career-high 18 points, while center
Chris Heinrich added 14 points and 11 rebounds.
"This was our most impressive win of the year, and not just because it was Cincinnati," Billikens head coach Lorenzo Romar said. "Our guys got home early Friday morning from Memphis, went to class yesterday, and had to get up early this morning for a noon game. From the tip, you could see we were in slow motion, because we didn't have our legs. Even when we got down towards the end, we never quit and found a way to win."
After an overtime loss at Memphis on Thursday, the Billikens looked beat as they trailed at the 5:29 mark after UC's Steve Logan knocked in a pair of free throws. The Bills began to attack the rim and few fouls, but Tatum and Maurice Jeffers made only 4-of-6 attempts. When Logan drained two more tosses, UC still led 60-55 with 2:09 left.
Cincinnati's defense was sagging to protect the middle, so Billiken freshman guard Marque Perry hit an uncontested trey at 1:58. Jeffers canned two freebies to knot the game at 60 with 1:07 remaining. Each team had a shot to win in regulation, but the shot clock ran out on Saint Louis. UC's Kenny Satterfield tried to go the length of the floor in 4.4 seconds, but Tatum blocked his driving lay-up attempt.
Although UC's Immanuel McElroy converted a lay-in for the first score in OT, but Saint Louis took command from that point. Heinrich's offensive rebound and put-back tied the game, and Tatum's free throw gave the Bills the lead for good with 3:26 remaining. Another short jumper by Heinrich and Perry's driving lay-up sealed the verdict.
Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins lamented his club's inability to make shots down the stretch or in overtime. "We had a wide open shot at the free throw line, don't make it," he said. "We had a four-footer on penetration, don't make it. Throw the ball on the block, don't make it. We had shots. A guy, who is supposed to be a great three-point shooter, shoots an air ball from the corner. It wasn't like we didn't have shots."
In a seesaw first half that saw three ties and seven lead changes, the Billikens opened their largest margin at 16-10 on Chris Braun jumper at the 10:41 mark. UC's Logan drained a triple to restore the 'Cats lead at 17-16, but Perry's trey at 4:51 put the Bills back on top 26-25. SLU closed the half with a 34-31 advantage.
The Billikens pounded the 'Cats in the lane with a 40-22 advantage in points in the paint. "We knew their big people were good, but they have trouble defensively," Tatum said. "We took the ball at them and dominated."
Chris Heinrich and Drew Diener were co-MVP's of this game as far as I'm concerned," Romar said. "Drew didn't allow Logan a basket after Drew was assigned to him. Chris came up with some big, big plays with offensive rebounds down the stretch. They helped preserve the victory for us, so hats off to those two."
Logan led all scorers with 32 points, but he was the only Bearcat in double figures. UC shot 34.5 percent from the floor and only 28.6 percent from three. Jeffers did a stand-out defensive job on UC's All-Conference guard, Kenny Satterfield who was only 3-of-15 from the floor.
The Billikens featured four players in double figures with Perry and Jeffers each popping in 13 to complement Tatum and Heinrich. The Bills shot 46.3 percent from the field and had their seven-game streak of shooting better than 50 percent at home snapped.
This marked the Billikens' second consecutive win over the Bearcats, the first time they have accomplished that since the 1966-67 and 1967-68 seasons. It also marked the first time in C-USA's six-year history that UC lost consecutive games to a league foe.
The Billikens (11-7, 3-2) continue their three-game homestand by entertaining American Division leader Marquette on Wed., Jan. 24, at Savvis Center.
