ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis exploded for 42 second-half points as the Billikens rallied to knock off Fordham 64-54 tonight in an Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball game at Savvis Center. Freshman guard Kevin Lisch led three Bills in double figures with a career-high 18 points, while junior center Ian Vouyoukas and freshman guard Tommie Liddell each pumped in 16.
"At halftime, we told them to just stick to the base offense and play basketball," said Billikens head coach Brad Soderberg. "We didn't draw up any set plays or X-and-0. We wanted them to be aggressive off the dribble and attack. Once we started making shots, it all looked better."
Trailing 28-22 at halftime, Saint Louis held the Rams scoreless for the first 6:03 of the second half and tied the game at 28 on Liddell's free throw line jumper. The game see-sawed back-and-forth as SLU led by as many as three after Lisch drilled a trey, but the Rams fought back to lead 37-33 after guards Marcus Stout and Jermaine Anderson drilled jump shots. After consecutive buckets by Lisch and Liddell, SLU tied the game at 39 with 9:45 remaining. Vouyoukas connected on two lay-ups as SLU completed the 8-0 run to take the lead for good.
Rams center Bryant Dunston, the 2005 A-10 Rookie of the Year, threw in his second threeball of the night to bring Fordham within 45-44 at the 5:53 mark, but that was as close as the Rams would get. Vouyoukas threw down his second dunk of the night, and Liddell followed with two free throws for a 49-44 lead. Fordham's Anderson connected on another triple, but SLU's Luke Meyer hit a mid-range jumper and sophomore point guard Dwayne Polk connected on a floater down the lane for a 53-47 edge with 3:18 remaining, and Fordham never challenged again. Lisch drained six consecutive free throws in the final minute to sew up the game.
"We tried to penetrate off the dribble, be aggressive and get Ian involved," Lisch said. "Because when Ian isn't involved, we lose half our offense."
After scoring just 39 points in a loss to Saint Joseph's on Wednesday night, the Billikens' offensive struggles continued in the first half as SLU didn't score its first basket until the 15:50 mark when freshman guard Ian Vouyoukas swept through the lane for a lay-in as the Bills pulled to within 24-20, but the Rams Bryant Dunston and Marcus Stout answered with jumpers. Sophomore guard Luke Meyer dropped in two free throws for the last scoring of the half, and the Bills had the last possession of the half but both Vouyoukas and senior guard Anthony Drejaj missed short shots in the final seconds.
Anderson paced Fordham (8-11, 3-3) with 20 points, and Dunston chipped in with 12. The Rams shot 40.4 percent from the field, 47.4 percent from the arc and 70 percent from the free throw line,
"Fifty-four points isn't going to get it done on the road, no matter where you play," Rams head coach Dereck Whittenburg said. "Saint Louis was extremely aggressive in the second half and really attacked us. When we didn't make shots, we didn't play well at the defensive end. I like Saint Louis as an addition to this league. They are well-coached, have good kids and are doing all the right things to build their program."
In his second straight start, Meyer led SLU with a career-high nine rebounds as the Bills dominated the glass 40-23. SLU shot 53.3 percent from the field in the second half to finish at 44.6 percent for the game. SLU shot only 16.7 percent from 3-point range and 80 percent from the free throw line.
"I just tried to play hard and do the things that I can do like make open shots and box out," Meyer said.
Saint Louis (10-9, 4-3) visits Rhode Island on Wed., Feb. 1, before returning to Savvis to host Xavier on Super Bowl Sunday.
