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ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis sophomore guard Tommie Liddell (East St. Louis, Ill.) hit a game-high 23 points to lead the Billikens to a 62-58 victory over Rhode Island in Atlantic 10 Conference men's basketball action Wednesday night at Scottrade Center. It was the first A-10 win of the season for SLU, which improves to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Rams were handed their first conference loss and dip to 9-8, 2-1 in the A-10.
The Billikens trailed by two at halftime, but came out firing from 3-point range in the second half. SLU avenged a 23 shooting percentage (3-13) from beyond the arc in the first half with a 53 percent shooting clip (8-15) from 3-point land in the second to preserve the win. Not to be lost in the barrage of 3-pointers was efficient shooting from the charity stripe with the outcome still in doubt. Senior center Ian Vouyoukas (Athens, Greece) buried both ends of two crucial 1-and-1's down the stretch, and sophomore guard Kevin Lisch (Belleville, Ill./Althoff) connected on four-straight free-throw attempts with under 25 seconds left to seal the game.
SLU established an efficient outside attack in the early going after getting 3-point buckets from junior guard Dwayne Polk (St. Louis, Mo./Vashon) and Lisch to open up to a 6-3 advantage. The teams traded baskets through the first 10 minutes of the half before SLU went on a 7-0 run, which was highlighted by a Liddell 3-pointer, to grab a 19-13 lead with 6:25 remaining in the first period.
A layup from Tommie Liddell at the 3:11 mark of the half put the Bills up by six again, but Rhody awoke and answered with an 8-0 run, and SLU was unable to find the basket the rest of the half. The Rams' Kahiem Seawright scored the final four points of the half to lead URI into the break with a 23-21 lead. Both teams' leading scorers lived up to their billing, as Liddell and URI's Will Daniels each scored a game-high seven in what was a rough shooting half for each squad. SLU shot just 30 percent from the field, and URI shot 28 percent from the field, which included a 1-of-9 mark from 3-point range.
Just as it did in the first half, SLU came out strong from the perimeter in the second. Lisch opened with a quick 3-pointer to give SLU a one-point lead, then Liddell hit two straight from beyond the arc. URI's Parfait Bitee helped the Rams keep pace, as he nailed a trey and a midrange jumper to hold SLU to just a two-point lead at 15:52 despite the quick scoring output.
The Billikens grabbed the lead for good with 9:48 left in the game on another Liddell 3-pointer, but they were forced to hold off several URI runs. Jimmy Baron scored nine-straight points for the Rams, including two 3-pointers from NBA range, as URI pulled to within one with 4:42 to go. But Vouyoukas' steady shooting from the free-throw line put the Bills up five. The Rams were within one point with 25 seconds left, but Lisch connected on two free throws after being sent to the line after being fouled on an in-bounds play. In the ensuing possession, URI's Daniels missed a dunk, which ended any legitimate chance at a comeback for URI.
Liddell broke the 20-point barrier for the third straight game. He shot 9-of-17 from the floor and hit 5-of-8 from 3-point range. Lisch went for 14 points, which included 3-of-7 from long range. Vouyoukas and Polk chipped in 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Daniels pumped in 15 points for URI and Baron tallied 14. Seawright pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for the Rams.
Saint Louis concludes its three-game homestand on Sat., Jan. 13, when Xavier comes to Scottrade Center for an 8 p.m. tip, a change from the time on the original schedule.
