GAME DETAILS
Saint Louis 70, SIUE 60
Wednesday, November 18, 2015 | 7 p.m.
Vadalabene Center | Edwardsville, Ill.
THE BASICS
Ash Yacoubou posted career highs of 22 points and 15 rebounds as the Billikens defeated SIUE 70-60 Wednesday night at the Vadalabene Center in Edwardsville, Ill.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-- The game featured six ties and five lead changes.
-- SIUE raced out to a 9-2 advantage in front of its energetic home crowd before the Billikens responded with a 6-0 run to pull within one at the 15:45 mark of the first half.
-- The Cougars used the 3-pointer and led by eight – their largest lead of the game – with 12:15 left in the first half.
-- A Miles Reynolds basket in the paint at the 8:23 mark of the first half sparked a 9-0 run that gave the Billikens the lead for the first time. SLU would push its lead to 10 with less than four minutes remaining in the half and went into halftime leading 32-25.
-- SIUE jumped out of the gates quickly in the second half and grabbed the lead midway through the period.
-- The Cougars led 50-47 at the 7:18 mark before Austin Gillmann knocked down a game-tying 3-pointer from the top of the key. Mike Crawford knocked in a pair of free throws on the Billikens' next possession, and SLU wouldn't relinquish its lead the rest of the way.
-- Milik Yarbrough scored five straight Billiken points in the final four minutes, including a 3-pointer with 2:30 remaining, and Saint Louis never looked back.
BILLIKEN NOTABLES
-- Yacoubou was 8-of-15 from the field and 6-of-7 from the free-throw line en route to his career-high 22 points. His previous career highs were 20 points (vs. Saint Joseph's, 2/3/15) and 10 rebounds (twice, last vs. Duquesne, 1/14/15). Yacoubou's three assists matched a career high.
-- Milik Yarbrough registered his second-career double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds.
-- Crawford was second on the Billikens with 15 points. He was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, the best perfect shooting night from the line in his career.
-- Miles Reynolds scored 11 points, giving him back-to-back double-digit scoring nights for the first time in his career. He also dished out a career-high four assists.
-- Austin Gillmann posted a career-high three blocks to go along with his game-tying 3-pointer in the second half.
-- SLU's eight blocks were the most by a Billiken team since SLU recorded nine swats at Dayton on Jan. 11, 2014.
-- The Billikens won their road opener for a third straight season.
SIUE LEADERS
-- Burak Eslik led four Cougars in double figures with 15 points.
UP NEXT
-- The Billikens host St. Francis Brooklyn at Chaifetz Arena on Saturday night. Tip time is scheduled for 7 p.m.
