St. Louis - Junior forward Barry Eberhardt tied his career high with 16 points as the Saint Louis Billikens posted a 60-43 victory over Loyola (Chicago) Wednesday night at Scottrade Center. The Billikens took charge with a 14-2 run midway through the second half to claim their second straight win.

The Billikens took the lead when Paul Eckerle drained a 3-pointer from the left side, but both teams struggled offensively and the score was tied at 7-7 almost eight minutes into the game. III hit two free throws to spark an 8-2 run by the Billikens. Luke Meyer hit a short jumper to put the Billikens up 11-7. After two free throws by Loyola, Meyer scored inside.

Barry Eberhardt layup put the Bills up 15-9 with just under eight minutes left in the first half. The Ramblers answered with five consecutive points, but Bryce Husak scored on a layup for a three-point SLU lead. Liddell answered a Loyola trey with his own shot from deep. Loyola scored two straight baskets to take the lead at 21-20, but Eberhardt drained a 3-pointer as the Billikens went into intermission holding a 23-21 lead. In addition to his seven points, Eberhardt set a career high for assists in the first half with four.

Lisch rattled in a 3-pointer as the Billikens pushed out to a 26-21 lead early in the second half. The Ramblers chipped away at the deficit and closed to one at 30-29 five minutes in. The Billiken lead was 33-31 before SLU took charge with a 9-0 burst keyed by Eberhardt. Dwayne Polk began the run with a long jumper just inside the arc. Eberhardt made a 3-pointer from the left, and on SLU's next trip, he scored a fastbreak layup off a Polk feed. Eberhardt tallied again inside off a feed from Liddell as the Billikens surged to a 42-31 lead with 12:22 left in the game.

The Ramblers finally scored to end their drought, but the Billikens tacked on five straight points. After one free throw by Danny Brown, Liddell sank a jumper and Husak scored in the paint as the Billiken lead ballooned to 47-33 with under nine minutes left. Loyola got as close as 49-38 with 5:58 left to play, but the Billikens sealed the win with two free throws by Eberhardt and a layup by Meyer for a 53-38 lead with four minutes remaining.

Eberhardt led all scorers with 16 points, had five rebounds and finished with a career high with four assists. Lisch added 13 points and had a game-high six rebounds, while Liddell chipped in 12 points. Justin Cerasoli led Loyola (4-6) with 12 points. The Billikens hit 14-of-20 shot from the field in the second half. The 70.0 percent shooting was the highest for any half this season. The Billiken defense held Loyola to 28.0 percent shooting in the second half and 31.9 percent in the contest.

The Billikens (8-5) do not play again until Saturday, Dec. 29, when they host IUPUI for a 7 p.m. game. The game is the final non-conference contest of the year.