RICHMOND, Va. - Kevin Lisch poured in 27 points, including a game-tying 3-pointer at the end of the second overtime, as the Saint Louis Billikens defeated Richmond 85-72 in the first triple overtime game in program history. The victory was the second straight on the road for the Billikens.
The Spiders hit two free throws to begin the second overtime, but Willie Reed powered inside for a bucket and a 64-64 tie. David Gonzalvez hit a trey for UR, but Barry Eberhardt hit two free throws for a 68-67 SLU lead with 2:09 left. Kevin Smith sank two charity tosses for a one-point Richmond lead. The Billikens had three chances to go ahead but could not find the bottom of the net. Kevin Anderson went to the line with 11.4 ticks left in the second overtime and made both free throws for a 71-68 lead. However, Lisch broke through a double-team and swished a 3-pointer at the buzzer to force triple overtime.
Mitchell scored on a drive to put the Billikens on top to begin triple OT. After one UR free throw, Lisch sank another trey from the left side for a 76-72 lead to ignite a 12-0 run to end the game. The Spiders missed two free throws, before Mitchell drove to the hoop for a bucket and free throw as the Billikens went up 79-72. After grabbing a defensive rebound, Lisch fed Mitchell for a breakaway layup and an 81-72 lead to seal the victory.
The Spiders hit three of their first four shots to stake claim to the early lead. After two Kevin Lisch scored on a layup to cut the gap to 20-19 at the 7:19 mark.
The Billikens took their first lead of the game when Lisch drained a transition jumper for a 23-22 lead with just over four minutes left in the first half. The SLU lead was 26-24 after Lisch rattled in a long trey at the 2:42 mark. Richmond's Kevin Smith scored five straight points to push the Spiders back into the lead. Another deep Lisch trey tied the game at 29-29, but UR scored in the final minute to take a 31-29 lead into intermission. The Billikens shot 55.0 percent from the field and forced the Spiders into missing 11 of 12 from beyond the arc in the first half.
The Spiders hit back-to-back 3-pointers during a 7-0 to inch out to a 40-32 advantage three minutes into the second half. However, the Billikens answered with seven unanswered. Lisch swished a shot from deep to cut the gap to 40-35. Liddell's shot jumper brought SLU to three, and a Brian Conklin layup drew SLU to 40-39 after seven minutes. The Billikens took their first lead of the second half at the 10:39 mark on Mitchell's drive and free throw 44-42 midway through. The Spiders eventually forged a tie at 46-46 with just under eight minutes left to play. The Spiders scored 10 of the next 14 points, including two shots that found the range just prior to the shot clock buzzer and pushed out to a 56-52 lead on David Gonzalvez's 3-pointer with 3:57 remaining. UR led 58-54, but Reed tipped in a miss as SLU closed to 58-56. Mitchell hit two free throws with 1:24 left to forge a 58-58 deadlock with 1:24 left in the contest. After both teams missed, the Spiders had the ball but the Billiken defense forced a miss at the buzzer to create the extra session.
Mitchell hit one free throw to put SLU on top in overtime, but the Spiders scored a bucket on their next two possessions for a 62-59 lead. With 46.5 left in overtime, Lisch went to the line and hit both ends of a one-and-one. SLU stole the inbounds pass, and Mitchell hit one free throw to tie the game with 39.3 left in the first OT.
Lisch finished with 27 points, the second-best output of his career, and set a career high with nine rebounds. The senior guard added three assists and three steals. Mitchell tallied career bests with 23 points and nine rebounds. Reed and Liddell both finished with nine points and 10 rebounds. The Billiken defense forced Richmond to miss all seven shots from the field in the third overtime.
The Billikens win their third straight and improve to 14-9 overall, 5-4 in the A-10. The Spiders stand at 11-12 overall, 3-5 in the A-10. The Billikens welcome Charlotte to Chaifetz Arena Wednesday, Feb. 11, for an 8 p.m. contest.
