MINNEAPOLIS – Despite another double-double from senior guard Jordan Goodwin, Saint Louis dropped a 90-82 decision at Minnesota on Sunday night.
 
It was the first loss of the season for the Billikens, who are now 6-1 entering their nonconference finale Wednesday against Kansas City at Chaifetz Arena. The Gophers improve to 7-1.
 
Saint Louis, playing its first road game of the season, trailed by as many as 15 with under four minutes to play but continued to battle and pulled to within seven with a minute left. But the Gophers hit their free throws down the stretch to escape with the victory.
 
Goodwin recorded his sixth double-double in seven games, finishing with 21 points and 10 rebounds to go with seven assists.
 
Fred Thatch Jr. scored a season-high 11 points – all in the second half – and pulled down a career-best eight boards. Hasahn French (12 points) and Javonte Perkins (11 points) also scored in double-digits for the Billikens. Yuri Collins tied Goodwin for team-high honors with seven assists.
 
Marcus Carr led the Gophers with 32 points. Minnesota went to the line 41 times and converted 82.9 percent (34-41) from the stripe.
 
French scored eight of the Billikens' first 10 points as he was doing work down low against Minnesota's seven-foot center, Liam Robbins. But the Gophers were hot from the outside, connecting on three treys early on to build a seven-point lead with 13:35 left in the opening half.
 
The Billikens went on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a Demarius Jacobs 3-pointer, to draw even at 17-17. SLU would take several leads in the first half but never managed to grow its lead to more than one possession. The Bills closed the half on a 6-2 spurt and trailed by two at the break, 42-40.
 
After a Goodwin bucket early in the second half tied it up, the Gophers responded with a 12-2 rally to build a double-digit lead. SLU pulled to within four of the lead at the 8:40 mark on a Goodwin basket, but it would get no closer to the lead than that the rest of the way.
 
SLU hosts the Kansas City Kangaroos on Wednesday at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by FOX Sports Midwest.