TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – Saint Louis overcame an early deficit and posted a 69-56 victory over Indiana State Tuesday night at the Hulman Center.

SLU improves to 2-0 with the victory, while Indiana State falls to 1-1. The Billikens fell behind 10-0 at the start and trailed by as many as 12 later in the first half, but free-throw shooting and defense helped the Billikens claw back and complete the come-from-behind victory.

Once again, the Billikens utilized a 12-man rotation, with all players playing double-digit minutes. The Billiken freshmen again played a key role for Saint Louis, scoring 21 straight points for SLU at a crucial point midway through the second half.

Junior Ash Yacoubou led the Billikens with 15 points, thanks in part to a 7-of-9 performance from the stripe. Freshman Milik Yarbrough scored 11, while freshman Marcus Bartley posted 10. Sophomore Mike Crawford added eight points for the Billikens.

Indiana State converted a traditional 3-point play with 6:49 left in the first half to take a 26-14 lead, its biggest advantage of the game. However, the Billiken defense did not allow a Sycamore field goal the rest of the first half. SLU went into halftime leading 28-27.

The second half saw the Billikens go nine minutes without a field goal until Yarbrough's dunk at 10:57. Despite the field-goal drought, the Billikens maintained the lead at the midway point of the second half thanks to its free-throw shooting. At one point, SLU had scored 17 straight points from the free-throw line.

Freshman Brett Jolly's free throws sparked a 9-0 Billiken rally that stretched the SLU lead to 43-35 with 9:54 left, and the Billikens never looked back. A Crawford 3-ball at the 4:55 mark of the second half gave SLU a 58-44 lead. Yacoubou scored the Billikens' final eight points of the game to close it out.

Saint Louis returns to Chaifetz Arena Sunday, Nov. 23, to take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m. It is the first game of the Corpus Christi Coastal Classic.