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ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis used a 14-2 run late in the second half to knock off La Salle 59-55 in a crucial Atlantic 10 Conference matchup Saturday night at Scottrade Center. Sophomore guard Kevin Lisch (Belleville, Ill./Althoff) reeled off 10 straight second half points en route to a game-high 24 to lead the Billikens to a come-from-behind victory. With the win, SLU ends a two game losing skid and improves to 16-10 overall and 6-6 in conference play.

Saint Louis took the lead for good just with just under two minutes to play. After junior forward Luke Meyer (Washington, Mo.) knotted the score 53-53 with an inside jumper at the three minute mark, senior center Ian Vouyoukas (Athens, Greece) connected on a layup to push the Billikens to a 55-53 lead. Two free throws from Lisch built that lead to 57-53 with one minute left, and SLU played in control in the final minute, allowing just two La Salle (10-17, 3-10 A-10) free throws down the stretch.

Neither team was able to take control of the tempo in the early going. Lisch and junior swingman Danny Brown (Houston,Texas) each hit 3-pointers in the initial minutes to pace the Billikens. The lead changed four times in the sluggish first half, and the teams went into halftime with the score tied at 23-23.

Saint Louis grabbed the lead at the beginning of the second half, and much like the first half, the teams traded baskets and leads. Down by three at the 13-minute mark, junior center Bryce Husak (Mt. Vernon, Iowa) put back a one-handed slam of a missed jumper, but from that point it was La Salle that was able to generate momentum for the first time. After Brian Grimes connected on two straight jumpers, the Explorers hit a flurry of 3-pointers just under the 10-minute mark to stretch out a 53-45 lead with under eight minutes to play.

With the Explorers enjoying their largest lead of the game, the Billikens took control on both ends of the floor. Lisch converted a traditional three-point play at the 5:55 mark, which sparked a 10-0 run to give SLU the outright lead. Lisch hit two more free throws, and Vouyoukas and Meyer added to the run with a pair of buckets. Following Vouyoukas' go-ahead basket, the Billikens hit 4-of-4 free throws down the stretch and limited La Salle's scoring to just two free throws to seal the win.

Lisch's 24 points came on 8-of-14 shooting from the floor and 2-of-5 from 3-point range. He hit all six of his free throws as the Billikens were 12-of-13 from the charity stripe. Lisch also brought down a career-high seven rebounds, which was also a game high, and he dished out three assists.

Tommie Liddell chipped in with 10 points, and Brown threw in eight points for the Billikens. SLU was poised with the basketball, committing just seven turnovers to the Explorers' 14.

La Salle's Mike St. John led the Explorers with 11 points, while Kimmani Barrett and Ruben Guillandeaux each netted eight points.

Saint Louis returns to Scottrade Center for a 7 p.m. matchup with A-10 foe Dayton on Wed., Feb. 21.