ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis raced past North Carolina A&T 75-42 this afternoon in a men's non-conference basketball game at Savvis Center. Senior guard Josh Fisher led all scorers with 18 points and handed out a game-high six assists without a turnover as the Billikens won their third straight game.
"Josh is doing a wonderful job at the point, although that's not his natural position," Billikens head coach Brad Soderberg. "He's stepped forward this year as a vocal leader. He's distributing the ball and keeping his turnovers down. He's a big, physical guard, who will defend the opponent's best player. I don't know if there's any more that we can ask."
With senior forward Sloan scoring six points, Fisher chipping in with five points and junior center Tom Frericks adding four points, the Billikens zipped out to a 15-4 lead. The Aggies hung around in the first half and stayed within 10 points, but senior forward Ross Varner pumped in a pair of treys just before halftime as the Bills led 35-19 at the break. The Bills shot 52.2 percent from the field in the first half and forced the Aggies into 14 turnovers.
Senior guard Phillip Hunt's free throw line jumper capped an 18-2 run to begin the second half, and the Aggies never threatened again. The Billikens shot 50 percent from the field, but only 23.1 percent from the arc and 64.7 percent from the line. The Bills' defense collected 16 steals while forcing 28 turnovers.
Sloan finished with 14 points by converting 10-of-13 free throws and led the Bills with eight rebounds. Sophomore guard Anthony Drejaj and Sloan each had four steals.
Sloan said the Billikens are ready for stronger opponents. "Every day at practice, we strive to get ready for the best teams," he said. "We've put our work in, and we're prepared for teams like West Virginia, Georgia Tech and Arizona."
The Aggies (0-4) shot 35 percent from the field. Sean Booker led A&T with 18 points, but had 13 turnovers, as he was their only double-figure scorer.
Saint Louis (3-0) faces its first road contest at West Virginia on Tue., Dec. 2, in Charleston. The Billikens return to Savvis on Sat., Dec. 6, to entertain No. 4 Arizona. ggies with 18 points, but he also committed 13 of the team's 28 turnovers.
