PHILADELPHIA – Saint Louis'
Fred Thatch Jr. recorded his first-career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds as the Billikens defeated La Salle 75-57 Tuesday night at Tom Gola Arena.
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The Billikens maintain second place in the Atlantic 10 Conference standings and improve to 17-6 overall and 8-2 in the league. La Salle falls to 7-14 overall and 2-9 in the league.
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SLU extended its season-long winning streak to six games. Additionally, the Billikens have won six in a row in A-10 play for the first time since 2013-14.
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Francis Okoro scored a team-high 19 points on 9-of-11 shooting. He scored 17 of his 19 points in the second half alone. Thatch was 5-of-9 from the field and 4-of-6 from the stripe to account for his 14 points. Four of Thatch's 10 rebounds were on the offensive glass.
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Gibson Jimerson scored 13 points, while
Yuri Collins,
Jordan Nesbitt and
Terrence Hargrove Jr. all chipped in eight points.
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SLU won the rebounding battle 43-13 and outscored the Explorers 46-22 in the paint.
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The Billikens utilized an 8-0 run in the first half to stretch out to a 41-27 advantage at halftime.
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In the second half, Okoro erupted as the Billikens built a double-digit lead it maintained for the majority of the game. Okoro was 8-for-9 in the second half for his 17 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds in the second session.
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The Billikens return to action Friday night when they host the St. Bonaventure Bonnies at Chaifetz Arena in an 8 p.m. (CT) tipoff. The game will be televised on ESPN2.
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