Pittsburgh, Pa. - Junior guard Kevin Lisch poured in a game-high 24 points as the Saint Louis Billikens began the coach Rick Majerus era with a 54-43 victory over North Carolina A&T at the Hispanic College Fund Challenge on Friday at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Billikens used a 9-1 run midway through the second half to grab control of the game.

After the Aggies scored the first basket of the game, Kevin Lisch, and Polk stole the ball for a layup. III drilled a trey to push the Billikens up 14-11 eight minutes into the contest. The game stayed close and was tied at 19-19. NCAT was called for a technical foul, and Lisch sank both. On the next SLU possession, Lisch scored on a mid-range jumper to push the Billikens up 23-19 with 3:46 left in the first half. Eberhardt converted inside to push the Billikens to a 25-21 lead, but the Aggies scored the final five points of the half to take a 26-25 at intermission.

The Billikens began the second half with an 8-1 burst. Lisch sank a trey to open the period, and Eberhardt hit one free throw. Meyer converted inside, and Eberhardt's drive to the basket put the Billikens up 33-27 with 17:37 left. The Aggies tallied five straight to cut the gap, but Lisch's two free throws gave the Billkens a 35-32 edge and ignited a 9-0 run. Lisch drained another 3-pointer, and he hit a long jumper as SLU took a 40-32 lead with just under 10 minutes to play. Liddell's drive pushed the Billikens to their first double-digit lead at 42-32 with 8:30 left to play.

The Aggies finally scored with 8:03 remaining, but Liddell answered with a long trey for a 45-34 margin. NCAT closed the gap, but two straight buckets by Lisch kept the Billikens up by double-digits. North Carolina A&T inched to 49-41 with just under two to play. Polk hit one free throw, but Eberhardt grabbed the offensive board. NCAT missed on its next possession, and Lisch hit both ends of a one and one with 41 seconds left. After another miss by the Aggies, Lisch sealed the victory with two more free throws.

Kevin Lisch led the Billikens with 24 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field and 8-of-9 from the free throw line. Barry Eberhardt added seven points and eight boards. Jason Wills led North Carolina A&T with 14 points and seven rebounds. The Billikens cranked up the pressure in the second half and held the Aggies to just 25 percent shooting (6-of-24). Majerus moves his record in season-opening games to 20-1.

The Billikens (1-0) face Houston Baptist tomorrow for a 5:30 (CT) p.m. game. SLU takes on host and No. 22 Pittsburgh on Sunday for a 6 p.m. (CT) game. The contest will air in the St. Louis area on Charter Communications' CCIN.