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St. Louis - Luke Meyer hit two free throws with 1.6 seconds left as the Saint Louis Billikens held off a late Long Beach State charge 52-48 at Scottrade Center on Saturday afternoon.
After building a 15-point lead in the second half, the Billikens found themselves down 48-47 with two minutes left to play. Luke Meyer to force a 49er error, before LBSU fouled the Billikens. SLU missed the front end of a one-and-one with 22 seconds left, but Eberhardt battled for the offensive rebound. Lisch hit one of two free throws to push SLU up 50-48 with 16 ticks remaining in the tilt. LBSU's bid to tie the game bounded off the left side, and the 49ers were whistled for a foul. Meyer then sealed the victory with his two charity tosses.
The Billikens began the game with an outstanding defensive stand as they held the 49ers without a point for the first six minutes of the game. The Billikens scored the first six points and eventually built an 11-2 lead when Dwayne Polk nailed a 3-pointer and a driving layup nine minutes into the game. Long Beach State only had six points at the 8:27 mark as the Billikens led by nine, but LBSU scored seven straight to close to 15-13. The Billikens eventually settled for a 22-17 lead at intermission.
The 49ers closed to 22-20 on their first possession of the second half, but the Billikens answered with a 16-3 run. III scored five straight to ignite the run. After one LBSU free throw, Bryce Husak threw down a dunk off a Meyer feed. Long Beach State hit a bucket, but Meyer and Paul Eckerle scored consecutive hoops for a 33-23 lead. Polk scored on a layup, and Lisch's trey boosted the Billikens to a 38-23 lead, the largest margin of the day. SLU still led 40-27 with just under 11 minutes left to play, but LBSU slowly cut into the Billiken advantage. The 49ers got hot from 3-point range, hitting three from beyond the arc to fuel their run. LBSU closed to one at 44-43, but Eberhardt drilled a trey to a 47-43 SLU lead with four minutes left to play. LBSU finally inched ahead before the Billikens made their final surge.
Luke Meyer chipped in eight points apiece. Meyer had a team-best six rebounds. The Billikens tied their season low with just eight turnovers, while forcing LBSU into 18 miscues. Donovan Morris led the 49ers with 14 points, while Brandon Johnson and Brian Freeman grabbed seven boards
The Billikens up their record to 6-3 on the season, while the 49ers now stand at 1-5. The Billikens head to Boston College on Tuesday, Dec. 4, for a 6 p.m. (CT) contest.
