CARBONDALE, Ill. - Saint Louis used a stifling defense and a game-high 14 points from Brian Conklin in a 61-42 Billiken victory against Southern Illinois Tuesday night at SIU Arena. It was SLU's first win in Carbondale since the 1997-98 season.
The Billiken defense yielded just eight Saluki field goals, which ties the Billiken record for least amount of field goals allowed.
Offensively, SLU shot 42 percent from the floor and 35 percent from 3-point range. Conklins' 14 points came on 4-of-5 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the charity stripe. Cody Ellis scored 11, while Kyle Cassity chipped in 10. Junior point guard Kwamain Mitchell led the Billikens with seven rebounds.
The Billikens were in control from the start. A Dwayne Evans long-range jumper sparked a 4-0 spurt that gave the Bills an 8-4 advantage early on. A traditional 3-point play by Ellis and a trey by Cassity grew the SLU lead to 14-6 with 10:46 to go in the first half.
With the score 21-9, the Billikens manufactured an 11-0 run, capped by Ellis' second 3-pointer of the half, to lead 31-9 with less than four minutes remaining. The Billikens carried a 37-15 advantage into halftime while holding the Salukis to just four field goals (4-22) in the opening half. Conversely, Saint Louis shot 53 percent (15-28) in the first half and was 3-of-6 from 3-point range.
A foul-laden second half saw the Salukis attempt 28 free throws, but they only converted 18 of those and were unable to gain the momentum needed to chip away the lead. Mitchell hit a layin off the glass and buried a fade away jumper to give SLU a 45-20 advantage with 13:19 to go in the 2nd half.
Southern Illinois hit its first field goal 10:45 into the half to pull it to 50-29, but Mitchell answered with a 3-pointer to give the Billikens a 24-point cushion. Cassity nailed a trey with 5:38 left to give the Bills a 58-34 lead, and they held on to post a 19-point win.
The Billikens return to Chaifetz Arena to face Washington Sunday, Nov. 20. Tip-off is slated for 11 a.m. and the game will be broadcast nationally on CBS Sports Network. The game will also air on 550 KTRS radio in St. Louis. Tickets are available by visiting SLUBillikens.com or by calling the Billiken Ticket Office at 314-977-4SLU.
