Freshman guard Anthony Drejaj poured in a career-high 19 points as Saint Louis ran away from Grambling 83-54 tonight in a non-conference game at Savvis Center. Drejaj paced five Billikens in double figures as the Bills won their third straight game, while snapping the Tigers' winning streak at three.
"We've got this kind of game in us every once in a while," head coach Brad Soderberg said. "If we defend well, we're starting to find ourselves offensively."
Leading 37-27 at halftime, the Billikens clamped down defensively on GSU to start the second half. SLU went on a 24-5 run covering the first 12:18 of the second session.
"Coach chewed us out at halftime, because he was unhappy with Grambling's shooting percentage (.435) in the first half," junior swingman Chris Sloan said. "He challenged us, and we came out with greater intensity and purpose at the defensive end."
The Billikens limited the Tigers to 38 percent shooting for the game and forced 18 turnovers. Meanwhile, the Billikens shot a season-high 56.1 percent
Drejaj shot 70 percent (7-10) from the floor and 71.4 percent (5-7) from three. He not only hit from long range, but also drove to the basket for lay-ins.
"Anthony is fearless, and he's not afraid to take shots," Soderberg said. "He'll do things like work out on his own the morning of a practice day. His high school coach told me that we wouldn't find a tougher kid, and we love that."
With 12 points and 10 boards, senior center Kenny Brown posted his second career double-double and helped the Bills to a 32-10 advantage in points in the paint. Brown realizes that he has been a key component in the Bills' recent surge, "I've been more aggressive over the last five games, and that's helped me."
Senior guard Marque Perry popped in 12 points. Sloan contributed 11, and senior guard Drew Diener tossed in 10. The Bills shot a season-high 57.9 percent from three, but hurt themselves with 42.1 percent free throw shooting.
Grambling (3-4) flies out to the West Coast to participate in California's Golden Bear Classic in Berkeley on Friday and Saturday. Junior forward Paul Haynes, the 2002 Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year, finished with 18 points. Guard Darius Whiteside finished with a team-high 19.
The Billikens (4-3) finish their pre-Christmas schedule with a visit to unbeaten Butler (7-0) on Sat., Dec. 21, at 1 p.m. (CST).
