Charlotte, N.C. - Charlotte guard Dijuan Harris sank a driving jumper to the right of the lane with three seconds left as the Saint Louis Billikens dropped a heartbreaker 63-61 in overtime on Sunday in Halton Arena.
The Billikens trailed 51-43 with just over three minutes remaining in regulation but rallied to force overtime. Willie Reed hit a jumper from the right side of the free-throw line to pull SLU to 51-47. The Billiken defense made a stand, and two more charity tosses trimmed the deficit to 51-49 with 1:20 remaining in regulation. Jon Smith tied the game for the Billikens with 22 seconds left. Charlotte worked for the final shot, but An'Juan Wilderness' potential game winner was swatted away by Reed to force SLU's second straight extra-session game.
Chris Braswell scored inside on Charlotte's first possession, but Ellis answered for the Billikens with a long jumper. Spears completed a three-point play with 3:04 in overtime, and the 49ers pushed the advantage to five with 1:49 to go. Reed connected on a jumper for SLU, but the 49ers answered with a hoop for a 61-56 lead. Smith worked free and hammered down a dunk to pull the Bills to 61-58 with 55 seconds remaining. The SLU defense kept the 49ers off the board and, after two misses from the line, Kyle Cassity drilled a game-tying trey from the top of the key with 17 seconds to play. The Billiken defense was looking to force another double-overtime game, but Harris' jumper was the winner for the 49ers.
Willie Reed narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Shamari Spears topped the 49er with 16 points and 13 rebounds. The Billiken defense ended a remarkable 3-point streak by Charlotte. SLU forced the 49ers into missing all seven attempts from beyond the arc, halting a run of 630 consecutive games the 49ers had hit at least one 3-pointer in a game, dating back to 1989.
The Billikens, who had won four straight overtime games, suffer their first Atlantic 10 Conference loss and are now 11-6 overall, 2-1 in the A-10. The 49ers improve to 12-5, 2-1 in the league. The Bills are next in action Wednesday when they host Fordham at 7 p.m. in Chaifetz Arena.
