ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis overcame an eight-point deficit in the second half to tie Boise State with less than a minute to play, but the Broncos held the Billikens scoreless the rest of the way and escaped Chaifetz Arena with a 57-52 win Saturday night.
 
Yuri Collins led SLU (7-4) with 17 points and four assists. Francis Okoro collected a game-high 12 rebounds, while Fred Thatch Jr. and Terrence Hargrove Jr. grabbed seven boards apiece.
 
SLU led 26-23 at halftime and was up 33-29 after Collins sank two free throws with 16:08 to play. Boise State (8-2) went on a 16-4 spurt over the next seven and a half minutes to go on top 45-37.
 
The Billikens chipped away and tied it at 52 on two Javon Pickett free throws with 57 seconds left. Thatch scored six of his eight points during the 15-7 run.
 
The Broncos left the door open by missing some free throws in the closing seconds, but a Billikens' potential game-tying 3-pointer was off the mark.
 
Neither team scored until a Boise State 3-pointer with 15:39 remaining finally broke the ice. The Broncos led 7-0 before Collins tallied the first SLU points at the 13:44 mark.
 
The Billikens took their first lead, 10-9, on a pair of Collins free throws with 8:54 left. There were six more lead changes before Saint Louis secured the first-half advantage for good, and the Billikens went on to lead by six before settling for a three-point halftime margin.
 
Saint Louis hosts Drake Saturday, Dec. 17, at 7 p.m.