ST. LOUIS – Javonte Perkins scored a game-high 21 points to lead four Saint Louis players in double figures, and the Billikens registered their 20th victory of the season by defeating Saint Joseph's 76-63 Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena.
 
The Billikens, who have posted 20 wins in consecutive seasons for the first time since the 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14 campaigns, improved to 20-8 overall and 9-6 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. They are tied with Duquesne and Davidson for fifth place in the A-10 with three games to play. Saint Joseph's is 5-23, 1-14.
 
Perkins was 7-of-10 from the field, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and 5-of-7 from the foul line. He has scored 20 or more points in three of the last four games, and in eight games total this season.
 
Hasahn French (7-of-11 FG) tallied 19 points and eight rebounds, while Jordan Goodwin (5-of-9 FG, 7-of-8 FT) turned in his league-leading 14th double-double of the season with 17 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
Terrence Hargrove Jr. (6-of-9 FG) tossed in 13 points and had a career-high three blocks, Yuri Collins contributed a game-high seven assists, and Demarius Jacobs recorded a career-high five assists.
 
Saint Louis shot 75 percent (15-of-20) in the second half to finish at 56.3 percent (27-of-48) for the game. The Billikens have shot 50 percent or better in four consecutive outings. SLU earned a 42-28 advantage on the boards and scored 40 points in the paint.
 
The Bills never trailed, taking the lead for good, 4-2, on a Jimmy Bell Jr. bucket. That sparked a 12-3 spurt that gave Saint Louis a 14-5 advantage with 11:46 left in the first half.
 
A 9-2 run doubled the margin from seven to 14 points, 25-11, at the 6:16 mark. However, Saint Joseph's outscored the Billikens 14-6 the rest of the half and trailed just 31-25 at intermission.
 
A basket by Goodwin and French's three-point play early in the second half pushed the lead back to double digits at 36-25.
 
The margin floated between six and 11 points for almost 12 minutes before Perkins and Hargrove connected from the arc on consecutive possessions for a 60-47 lead with 6:54 to play. The spread remained in double digits the rest of the way.
 
The Billikens travel to Rhode Island Sunday, March 1, for a 1 p.m. (CST) tip-off against the Rams. The game will be televised on ESPNU.