Dec. 23, 2009

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Lauren Woods recorded her first career double-double, and Saint Louis shot a season-best 56 percent from the field in a 78-58 victory over Tennessee Tech Wednesday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.

Woods tallied 19 points and tied her career best with a game-high 11 rebounds. She also registered a career-high 13 free-throw attempts (9-of-13) to go with two assists and two steals.

Amanda Kemezys and Ashley Hanlen netted a career-high nine points on 3-of-3 shooting, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Kathryn Hester scored seven points and grabbed six rebounds, and Mallory Eggert had four rebounds, helping the Billikens (5-7) claim a 44-34 advantage on the boards.

Tacarra Hayes led Tennessee Tech (5-5) with 22 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

The Bills, whose 78 points fell just one point shy of tying their season high, were 28-of-50 from the field overall and 5-of-7 from 3-point range. Saint Louis tied its season high with 28 free-throw attempts (17-of-28). Meanwhile, Tennessee Tech's 34.5 shooting percentage (20-of-58) included a dismal 1-of-15 from beyond the arc.

Kemezys scored six points and Woods added three to propel SLU to a quick 9-0 lead. The Billikens regained a nine-point cushion, 12-3, when Ayriell Robinson hit the front end of a two-shot foul.

Tennessee Tech rallied to trim the SLU advantage to 19-18 with a 15-7 spurt that included scoring from five players, and the Golden Eagles had three chances to take the lead. But the Billikens held each time and responded with a 14-3 outburst, also featuring points from five players, to claim their largest first-half lead, 33-21, at the 1:53 mark. Hanlen scored seven of the 14 points including two treys, the second of which concluded the run.

It didn't take long for Saint Louis to expand a 33-24 halftime edge. After Hayes' layup made it 33-26, the Billikens assembled a 14-4 run that stretched the lead to 47-30 with 15:28 remaining. Bradley notched seven of the 14 points, and Katie Paganelli buried the first of two second-half 3-pointers. Tennessee Tech managed to close to within 12 points twice, but SLU responded each time by scoring seven straight points to regain command.

Following Christmas break, the Billikens host Bradley Tuesday, Dec. 29, at 5:30 p.m.