Nov. 6, 2010

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ST. LOUIS - Dwayne Evans scored 12 points on 6-of-9 shooting and collected a game-high 14 rebounds, and Saint Louis pulled away late to register a 78-62 exhibition victory over Nova Southeastern Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena.

Jordair Jett was 6-of-7 from the floor and matched Evans' 12 points, while Brian Conklin tallied 11 points for the Billikens, who shot 49.3 percent (33-of-67) from the field and committed only nine turnovers. Cody Ellis and Rob Loe netted nine points apiece for Saint Louis, with all of Ellis' points coming on 3-point baskets. Kyle Cassity dished out a game-high six assists.

Nova Southeastern of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., a member of the NCAA Division II Sunshine State Conference, was led by Alex Gynes' 18 points. Robert Huntington scored 11 points, John Brooks contributed 10 points and eight rebounds, Teddy Tassy gathered seven rebounds and Lemar Dyer chipped in five assists.

Trailing 39-31 at halftime, the Sharks scored six of the first eight points in the second half to make it a 41-37 game, and the Billiken lead alternated between four and six points until Brooks' 3-pointer pulled Nova to within three at 49-46. Evans restored order for Saint Louis with a put-back, followed by a Conklin field goal, Cassity's trey and another Evans second-chance basket to increase the SLU lead to 58-48.

Nova refused to fold, cutting the margin in half on a Cody Dennison drive, Ross Allsop's short one-handed turnaround and a Dyer free throw. But the Billikens finally pulled away, scoring on five of seven possessions in a 12-2 outburst that stretched the lead to 70-55.

Evans ignited the run with a jumper from the left elbow, Loe connected on a trey from the left corner and Evans put back his own miss. Ellis drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing, and Loe punctuated the run with a wide-open layup. Nova drew no closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

Five players scored for Nova Southeastern as the Sharks jumped to a 10-4 lead. But a Christian Salecich 3-pointer from the left wing ignited an 11-0 spurt that gave the Billikens a 15-10 advantage. Conklin followed Salecich's trey with a free throw, and a Cody Ellis trey put SLU on top 11-10. Consecutive buckets by Rob Loe concluded the flurry.

Nova Southeastern got a layup from Max Papendieck to momentarily slow the Bills' momentum. But Saint Louis scored the next eight points on an Evans floater in the lane, a Conklin layup, Jett's strong up-and-under and a short Conklin jumper to take a 23-12 lead.

The Sharks clawed their way back with a 7-2 run to slice the SLU margin to 25-19, but the Billikens quickly regained command. Ellis buried another 3-pointer, and Mike McCall tallied a fast-break layup and a 3-pointer from the top of the key to give Saint Louis its largest lead of the first half, 33-19.

Gynes hit a tough bank shot and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to trim the SLU lead to 33-24 before Paul Eckerle's baseline trifecta restored a double-digit cushion. After Gynes scored on a third straight possession, Salecich beat the shot clock from beyond the arc to boost the Billiken margin to 39-26. However, Saint Louis came up empty on its final four possessions, while Nova used two Dyer free throws and Tassy's conventional 3-point play to cut its deficit to 39-31 at the break.

The Billikens open the regular season Friday, Nov. 12, hosting Austin Peay at 7:30 p.m. The game is the second half of a doubleheader that opens with the SLU women's basketball team hosting Wisconsin in its season opener at 5 p.m. One ticket is good for admission to both games.