Jan. 15, 2010

Box Score

ST. LOUIS - Amanda Kemezys registered her fifth double-double of the season with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and Lauren Woods tallied 14 points and a game-high five assists to lead Saint Louis to a 64-50 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over Rhode Island Friday night at Chaifetz Arena.

Kemezys pulled down a career-high eight offensive rebounds, part of the Billikens' total of 19. Ayriell Robinson collected a career-high seven total rebounds, Kathryn Hester added six and Mallory Eggert grabbed five. Janisha Gearlds scored a season-high 10 points for the Billikens (7-11, 1-2 A-10) and made a game-high three steals.

Ashley Rivera had a game-high 17 points and four assists while playing all 40 minutes for Rhode Island (9-9, 2-1 A-10). Lindsay Harris contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds, matching her league-leading average on the boards.

Saint Louis committed just 12 turnovers while forcing Rhode Island into 22 miscues. The Bills earned a 43-39 advantage on the glass and outscored the Rams 18-3 from the free-throw line.

Rhode Island owned early leads of 3-0 and 5-2, but SLU put together a 15-0 spurt to take command. Kemezys corralled an offensive rebound and scored to ignite the run, and Paganelli's layup gave the Billikens a lead they would not relinquish. Gearlds followed with two free throws, and Paganelli buried a 3-pointer for an 11-5 advantage. Two jumpers by Woods and a Kemezys layup finished the outburst that put the Bills on top 17-5 at the 13:40 mark.

Rhode Island climbed back in the game with a 10-2 flurry of its own over the next 7:21, cutting the SLU lead to 19-15 with 6:19 remaining. The Bills scored seven of the next nine points on two Woods free throws, a Robinson 3-pointer and a Kemezys layup to grab a 26-17 advantage, but Rhode Island turned two consecutive Saint Louis turnovers into layups to make it a five-point game, 26-21. However, Paganelli responded with another trey and Woods tacked on a free throw, and SLU held Rhode Island scoreless over the last 2:10 of the half to take a 30-21 edge to the locker room.

In the second half, Saint Louis gradually expanded the margin to 14 points twice, the second occasion a 48-34 cushion with 10:35 to play. URI's Lara Gaspar scored six of her nine points in a 7-0 run that narrowed the Bills' advantage to 48-41 at the 8:13 mark. The lead remained in the seven- to 10-point range until Woods hit a jumper with 2:47 left that put SLU on top 60-48, and Rhode Island drew no closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

The Billikens travel to Cincinnati Wednesday, Jan. 20, to take on nationally ranked Xavier, the preseason A-10 favorite. Game time at Cintas Center is 6 p.m. (CT).