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ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis made 33 free throws to hold off Chicago State 58-52 tonight in a non-conference men's basketball game at Savvis Center. Junior center Ian Vouyoukas contributed a game-high 17 points, while freshman guard Kevin Lisch tossed in 15 as he moved into the starting lineup to replace injured senior Anthony Drejaj.
"As pleased as I was with our offensive execution against Gonzaga, I was equally displeased tonight, but we got the win and that's what truly matters," said Billikens head coach Brad Soderberg. "We gave up far too many offensive rebounds, made too many turnovers and committed silly fouls. Usually that leads to a loss, so maybe it shows that we're a pretty good team that can find a way to win when we have an off night."
Neither team could shoot the ball well early as each shot in the low 30 percent range, but the Bills kept pounding the ball inside to Vouyoukas and drawing fouls. With 11:28 to play in the half, SLU was in the bonus. Erratic ball-handling that led to nine first half turnovers kept SLU from pulling away, but the Bills were 15of-16 from the free throw line and built a 33-21 lead at halftime.
Saint Louis' field goal percentage went from less than mediocre to dreadful in the second half as the Bills shot just 16.7 percent (3-18) and opened the door for the Cougars to climb back in the game. But SLU managed to stay alive at the free throw line as three CSU players fouled out. The Bills made 18-of-29 (.621) free throws in the second half.
CSU climbed to within 50-49 with 4:13 remaining on Michael Henderson's lay-up. But guard David Holston fouled SLU point guard Dwayne Polk along the right sideline in an attempt to pick up a charge. Polk buried both tosses. After Henderson missed the front end of a 1-and-1 on CSU's next possession, SLU's Luke Meyer made 1-of-2 at the stripe. The Bills were fortunate on a foul call against CSU guard Royce Parran as Lisch drove the lane, and the freshman buried both free throws to give SLU a 55-49 edge with 1:49 remaining. Vouyoukas and Danny Brown each blocked a CSU shot in the final 30 seconds, and the Bills hung on.
Chicago State (1-9) lost its seventh straight game as the Cougars shot 33.3 percent from the field, 9.1 percent (1-11) from the arc and 72.2 percent from the free throw line. The Cougars out-rebounded SLU 42-32 and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, which it converted into 16-second chance points. CSU had 12 steals and scored 24 points off 16 SLU turnovers. Parran and Quovadis Harper topped the Cougars with 12 points apiece, while Holston chipped in with 11. CSU forward Kourtney Calvin grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Billikens shot 28.9 percent (11-38) from the field, 30 percent from the arc and 73.3 percent from the line. SLU's 45 free throw attempts and 33 made tosses were both season highs. Bills junior forward Justin Johnson matched his career high with eight rebounds, tying Vouyoukas for the team high. Vouyoukas topped the Bills with three assists and a career-high five blocked shots.
Saint Louis (6-5) continues its five-game homestand by hosting Iowa on Fri., Dec. 30, at 7 p.m.
