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Saint Louis Billikens Athletics

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61
#21 Rhode Island URI 15-3, 1-2 A-10
68
Winner Saint Louis SLU 10-7,1-2 A-10
#21 Rhode Island URI
15-3, 1-2 A-10
61
Final
68
Saint Louis SLU
10-7,1-2 A-10
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
#21 Rhode Island URI 23 38 61
Saint Louis SLU 27 41 68

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Saint Louis Athletics

Saint Louis Upsets No. 23 Rhode Island

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Tommie Liddell scored 22 points and Saint Louis held No. 23 Rhode Island to season-lows for points and shooting percentage in a 68-61 upset on Thursday night.

Reserve Paul Eckerle had 13 points and Luke Meyer 12 for Saint Louis (10-7, 1-2 Atlantic 10). The victory was the Billikens' first significant win under new coach Rick Majerus, and first over a ranked opponent since a 72-61 victory over No. 23 Memphis on March 11, 2004.

Will Daniels, coming off a 28-point game against Duquesne, was plagued throughout by fouls and managed 12 points before fouling out with 2:45 to go. Daniels, who averages 19 points, sat the last 9:13 of the half after drawing his third foul on a charge.

Parfait Bitee and Lamonte Ulmer had 11 points apiece for Rhode Island (15-3, 1-2), which entered the game averaging 88 points in its last seven games. The Rams shot 34.3 percent, eight percentage points lower than the previous worst, and their previous scoring low was 72 points in a loss at Boston College on Nov. 21.

All three of the Atlantic 10's ranked teams have lost in the last two days. No. 14 Dayton lost to Massachusetts and No. 20 Xavier lost to Temple on Wednesday.

Saint Louis shot 54.5 percent and led 27-23 at the half, another low-water mark for Rhode Island. The Billikens twice stretched the advantage to 12 points in the second half.

Rhode Island cut the deficit to 47-43 with about six minutes to go after three straight baskets by Daniels, but a pair of baskets by Liddell on the break helped Saint Louis go back up by 12 at 55-43 with 3:49 left.

Rhode Island had the deficit back to five in the final minute before Liddell, 9-for-12 from the field, hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock buzzer sounded with 44.5 seconds to go for a 63-55 cushion.

Rhode Island averaged 88 points in its previous seven games, the school's best stretch since 1986-87, and entered the game among the nation's best with 49 percent shooting. The Rams missed 13 of their first 15 shots, only making 3-pointers by Daniels and Jimmy Baron, in the first 10 minutes while falling behind 9-8.

Daniels was called for a charge with 9:18 to go, his third foul, and sat down with five points and three rebounds with Saint Louis leading 11-8.

Saint Louis won without starting forward Barry Eberhardt, its third-leading scorer (9.0) and rebounder (5.1), who missed the game with a sprained ankle. Freshman Adam Knollmeyer got his first career start and had a career best six points and five rebounds.

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