GAME DETAILS
Saint Louis 82, Memphis 74
Friday, December 4, 2020 | 6 p.m. (CST)
Chaifetz Arena | St. Louis, Mo.
 
THE BASICS
• Saint Louis erased a seven-point deficit over the final 1:09 of the fourth quarter to force overtime, then dominated the extra session to post an 82-74 victory over Memphis in the Billikens' season opener Friday night at Chaifetz Arena.
• SLU allowed Memphis (0-2) just four free throws over the final 6:21 (1:21 of the fourth quarter, 5:00 overtime) as the Billikens captured a sixth consecutive win in a season opener.
• Ciaja Harbison's pull-up jumper with four seconds remaining in the fourth quarter tied the game at 70. The Bills never trailed in overtime.
 
FIRST QUARTER
• Memphis jumped out to a 13-4 lead with 6:15 remaining.
• Saint Louis answered with a 10-0 run that featured scoring by four players, led by four points from Myriama Smith Traore.
• Memphis closed the quarter with a 6-0 spurt to go on top 19-14.
 
SECOND QUARTER
• SLU held Memphis to two points by the media timeout, pulling to within one, 21-20, at the 4:44 mark.
• However, the Tigers outscored the Billikens 9-2 the rest of the way and carried a 30-22 lead into intermission.
 
THIRD QUARTER
• Memphis took its largest lead of the game, 40-26, with 7:09 left.
• Saint Louis caught fire when Peyton Kennedy connected from beyond the arc on two consecutive possessions.
• Sparked by Kennedy's treys, the Billikens outscored the Tigers 23-11 to close the gap to 51-49 at the buzzer. Rachel Kent notched eight points, including a pair of treys, during the spurt.
 
FOURTH QUARTER
• Memphis owned a nine-point lead on three occasions, the final time a 62-53 advantage with 4:29 left.
• Alana Davis' layup with 1:21 to play put the Tigers on top 70-63.
• Brooke Flowers scored on Saint Louis' next possession. Following a Kent steal, Harbison connected from the arc to make it a one-possession game, 70-68.
• The Tigers had two chances to gain some breathing room on their next trip down the floor but were denied by the Billikens' defense.
• SLU called a timeout with nine seconds left, setting the stage for Harbison's game-tying bucket.
 
OVERTIME
• The Billikens led throughout following two Smith Traore free throws on their first possession.
• Myia Clark's free throw with 12 seconds left gave SLU an 80-74 lead, forcing Memphis to try a 3-pointer which was off the mark.
 
BILLIKEN NOTABLES
• The Billikens earned a 56-46 rebounding advantage, including 21-13 on the offensive glass that led to a 20-7 edge in second-chance points.
• Saint Louis outscored Memphis 33-4 in bench points.
• Kent scored 17 of her team-high 19 points in the second half and overtime. She also recorded a team-high five assists.
• Freshman Peyton Kennedy just missed a double-double in her Billiken debut, turning in 15 points and nine rebounds. Kennedy grabbed a game-high five offensive boards.
• Smith Traore registered her second career double-double with a career-high 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. She added game highs of three blocks and three steals.
• Harbison had 14 points – 12 in the second half and overtime – to go with four assists.
• Flowers contributed eight points, seven rebounds and three blocks, while Clark notched eight points and six rebounds.
 
MEMPHIS LEADERS
Alana Davis, 24 points; Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, 21 points, 17 rebounds; Aerial Wilson, 10 points; Madison Griggs, six assists
 
 UP NEXT
The Billikens host Bradley Sunday, Dec. 6, at 2 p.m.