COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) - Sophomore Kevin Lisch's career-high 27 points led five Billikens in double figures as Saint Louis ground out an 82-69 victory over Lamar in the Shelby Metcalf Classic. The Billikens never trailed in the game but had to survive foul trouble and 33.3 percent field goal shooting in the second half to hold off the Cardinals. Junior Bryce Husak provided a spark off the bench, adding a career-high 10 points and five rebounds down the stretch.
The game got off to an inauspicious beginning for SLU with a spate of missed free throws before sophomore Tommie Liddell got the Billikens going with a transition layup. SLU hit four of its next six shots, including a pair of 3-pointers from Lisch to open an eight-point lead. Lamar saw its deficit grow to 10 before pulling within five on Mathew Barrow's 3-pointer with 5:53 remaining in the half. SLU reeled off seven straight, capped by Husak's 3-pointer, which put the Bills up 35-23 with four minutes left.
SLU netted the first seven points of the second half on dunks from Ian Vouyoukas and Liddell, which sandwiched another 3-pointer from Lisch. Trailing by 17 just four minutes into the second half, the Cardinals clamped down defensively, holding the Billikens scoreless over the next three minutes. Lamar's Darren Hopkins scored five points over the stretch and, with James Davis' layup, pulled the Cardinals within 10.
After the Billikens went up 15 on Danny Brown's layup at the 10:45 mark, Lamar again started a rally with the 3-point shot. Matthew Barrow and Shane Mahoney hit from long range, and Lamar Sanders scored a layup in transition to pull the Cardinals within nine with 8:40 left in the contest. It was Vouyoukas' turn to answer the Lamar challenge, hitting a pair of free throws and a layup in the following minute to push the lead back to 12.
The Billikens shot 46 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range. Husak piled up his 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers. Lisch hit four 3-pointers for the second-straight game en route to his game-high 27 points, and he handed out five assists as well. Vouyoukas added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Brown posted 12 points, and Liddell rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. Liddell and Dwayne Polk tied Lisch's five assists for team-high honors.
Saint Louis will play for the Shelby Metcalf Classic title on Sun., Nov. 19, at 5:30 p.m. against No. 12 Texas A&M. Viewers in Missouri and Texas can watch the game on Fox Sports Midwest.
