ST. LOUIS - Sophomore guard Kevin Lisch tied a career-high with 27 points in leading Saint Louis to a 81-78 triumph over the visiting Houston Cougars in a non-conference men's basketball game Saturday afternoon at Scottrade Center. The Billikens exploded for 14-0 and 13-0 runs to begin the first and second halves, respectively, but Houston clawed its way back both times and had a chance for the tie at the buzzer, but Robert McKiver's desperation 3-point attempt rimmed out.
Despite the quick Billiken starts in each half, Houston was able to put together rallies of its own and eventually came back from a 20-point deficit with just over seven minutes to play. Trailing by three with 12 ticks remaining, the Cougars brought the ball up the floor and put it in the hands of their leading scorer, but McKiver's off-balanced 3-point attempt at the horn hit the iron and fell to the ground. With the win, the Billikens improve to 4-1 for the first time since the 2000-01 season.
Lisch and fellow sophomore guard Tommie Liddell each hit 3-pointers to sandwich a 14-0 Billiken rally to start the game. Lisch added another bucket, and senior center Ian Vouyoukas and junior guard Dwayne Polk also entered the scoring mix as the Billikens put up 14 points and held the potent Houston offense scoreless through the first seven minutes of action.
Houston, which came into Saturday's game averaging 95.7 points per game, scored its first points of the game on 3-point field goals from Robert Lee, Robert McKiver and Sam Anderson to pull to within 19-9 at the 11:08 mark. Four straight points from Anderson brought the Cougars to within four at 20-16 with eight minutes left in the half. They continued to chip away at the lead, and eventually took the lead when Oliver Lafayette buried a deep, off-balanced 3-pointer from the right side to give Houston a 25-24 advantage with 5:53 remaining. The Cougars took a 35-32 advantage into halftime thanks to Lafayette's and Anderson's 10 points apiece. Lisch led all scorers at the break with 12 points.
Just as it did in the first half, Saint Louis opened the second half with a substantial run. A 3-pointer from Liddell and a traditional 3-point play from Polk helped the Billikens to a 13-0 rally to start the second stanza. SLU took advantage of its transition offense and tight perimeter defense to open up a 10 point lead just four minutes into the second half. Junior swingman Danny Brown stretched SLU's lead to 16 at the 11:26 mark after dunking a coast-to-coast run and connecting on the subsequent free throw for the traditional 3-point play. He later nailed a 3-pointer at the 7:06 mark to give the Bills their biggest lead of the contest at 20.
But the resilient Cougars managed to claw back into the game once again. Lafayette connected on consecutive 3-pointers to cap a 12-0 rally and push the Cougars to within six at 73-67 with 3:17 to go. Anderson matched Lafayette's performance and nailed two 3-balls of his own, which came in a stretch of five straight 3-pointers for the Cougars. A couple of free throws from senior forward Justin Johnson and Liddell preserved the three-point lead, and ended up securing the win for the Billikens after McKiver's attempt for last-second heroics fell short.
Lisch hit 7-of-13 shots, including 4-of-7 from long range, in tying his career-high of 27 set just one week ago. Liddell finished with 18 points of 7-of-8 shooting, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. He also pulled down 12 boards for the double-double. Vouyoukas also nailed a double-double after scoring 16 points and pulling down 13 boards.
Houston was led by Lafayette's 24 points, with Anderson chiming in with 18. Lee pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds for the Cougars, who dip to 3-1 with the loss.
Saint Louis returns to action on Wed., Nov. 29, when it travels to Chicago to take on Loyola. Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
