STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) - Saint Louis used smothering second-half defense to storm back from an 11-point halftime deficit and collect a 67-60 victory at Pacific tonight. The Billikens held Pacific to 16 points after the Tigers shot 58.6 percent in the first half. SLU sealed the win with free throws down the stretch, hitting 90.0 percent from the charity stripe on the night, but only after Pacific misfired on three potentially-tying 3-pointers in the game's final minute. SLU senior Ian Vouyoukas paced the Bills with his fourth double-double of the year, 17 points and 11 rebounds.
The Billikens opened the game efficiently, hitting four of their first five from the field, but UofP's Steffan Johnson kept pace all on his own, netting the Tigers' first 13 points in the opening six minutes. Kevin Lisch put SLU up five with 15:13 remaining when the Tigers went on an 8-0 run to surge ahead by three on Anthony Esparza's layup. The lead changed hands several times over the next five minutes, but neither team could gain control. After Lisch's three gave the Bills a 27-23 lead with 6:38 left, UofP closed the half with a 21-6 run, punctuated by a pair of 3-pointers in the final 53 seconds before the break.
SLU set the tone early in the second half as the Bills continued their hot shooting, while clamping down on the Tigers defensively. Vouyoukas and Tommie Liddell each put in four points in the early minutes of the period, and Danny Brown cut the UofP lead to 46-43 on a layup off a turnover five minutes into the half.
While the Tigers did not score a bucket over a five-minute span, the Billikens struggled to take the lead. Vouyoukas hit a layup to pull the Bills within two at 45-47, but two minutes elapsed before Lisch knotted things up with a pair of free throws after he was fouled on a breakaway with 10:45 left in the game.
The tie seemed to reawaken the Tiger offense as Esparza put UofP back on top with a hard-fought layup. Dwayne Polk answered on the next possession with a 3-pointer from the corner with the shot clock winding down for a 51-53 Billiken advantage. Casey Neimeyer's traditional three-point play tilted things back in the Tigers' favor, but again the Bills had the answer with jumpers from Luke Meyer and Polk.
With the Bills leading by one after a Solomon HorseChief layup, both teams struggled over the next two minutes. The Bills couldn't connect on a pair of 3-pointers, and Anthony Brown gave Pacific a 58-57 lead with a layup at the 5:07 mark. The deficit did not last long for SLU as Meyer answered with a mid-range jumper 14 seconds later. After Liddell mirrored Meyer's jumper to put the Bills up 61-58, Vouyoukas scored the last of his eight buckets with a dunk at 2:41.
Brown narrowed the Billiken lead to three points with a pair of free throws. After Lisch's 3-point attempt rattled out, HorseChief lined up a triple with 1:03 on the clock. That effort did not find the bottom of the net, but an offensive rebound allowed him to get off another shot at the tie. That, too, rimmed out, and the Billikens grabbed the rebound and called time out with 38 ticks on the clock.
SLU set up the in-bounds play, only to see C.J. Morgan pick up the steal and drive to the 3-point line on the right side. His shooting woes continued, however, as he ended with an 0-for-4 night. The Tigers fouled Lisch with 29 seconds left, and the sophomore guard hit both ends of a 1-and-1 to push the lead to 65-60. Two more free throws with 10 seconds left sealed the win for SLU.
Liddell matched Vouyoukas' 17 points for team-high honors, while Lisch added 16 points along with a career-high seven assists. SLU shot 51 percent from the field, while the Tigers cooled to 40.7 percent, including just 20 percent in the second half.
The Billikens return to St. Louis for a four-game homestand, beginning on Sat., Dec. 16, against UT-Martin. Tipoff at Scottrade Center is set for 7 p.m.
