CHARLESTON, W.Va. - West Virginia held off a determined Saint Louis rally to hand the Billikens a 66-57 loss tonight in a men's non-conference basketball game at the Charleston Civic Center. Sophomore guard Anthony Drejaj led four Bills in double figures, but couldn't prevent SLU's first loss of the season.
"We played hard enough and fought back, but we're not executing very well offensively," Billikens head coach Brad Soderberg. "We need to get back in the gym and work on improving at the offensive end."
Saint Louis struggled mightily from the field in the first half shooting only 25.9 percent (7-27), while the Mountaineers shot 57.1 percent (12-21). WVU was able to dump the ball down low to forward Kevin Pittsnogle for a couple early buckets. When the sophomore headed to the bench with two fouls, center D'or Fischer dumped in two more. Fischer also was active at the defensive end with three blocked shots. Meanwhile, the Mountaineers guards made a respectable number of perimeter shots as the shot clock was winding down. The Billikens missed three lay-ups and three free throws that led to a 27-19 halftime deficit.
West Virginia opened up a 14-point lead with 15:24 remaining as Mountaineers leading scorer Drew Schifino knocked down one of two free throws. SLU dug in defensively and began a charge behind Drejaj's aggressive drives to the goal and three-point shooting. The Bills' sophomore guard popped in 11 of his points in the second half, and his triple with 10:04 to play capped a 15-3 run that pulled SLU within 42-40.
Freshman forward Justin Johnson missed a pair of free throws that would have tied the game, and WVU forward Kevin Pittsnogle knocked in a pair of his own to push the margin to four. Mountaineers freshman point guard Tyler Relph drilled a long three-pointer, and WVU enjoyed a seven-point margin that SLU never could dent.
The Mountaineers (2-1) shot 56.1 percent from the field, 42.9 percent from three and 63.6 percent from the free throw line. Schifino finished with a game-high 18 points. Fischer added 12, and Pittsnogle tossed in 11.
"West Virginia did a nice job of being patient, and Schifino let the game come to him in the second half," Soderberg said. "I gained a lot of respect for his game tonight, because he didn't force things when he wasn't getting his shots or his points."
Billiken senior guard Josh Fisher led the Bills with nine rebounds and added 12 points. In his Billiken debut, junior guard Reggie Bryant tossed in 12 points, and Chris Sloan added 10. Saint Louis shot 38.2 percent from the floor, 31.8 percent from three and only 57.1 percent from the stripe.
"Reggie did alright in his first game, but he still needs to learn to operate within the offense and get his good shots coming off screens," Soderberg said. "It's something that Marque Perry really picked up on as the year went on last season, and Reggie will play his way into it."
Saint Louis (3-1) returns to Savvis Center on Sat., Dec. 6, to entertain No. 8 Arizona.
