ST. LOUIS – Kyla McMakin scored 33 points, Brooke Flowers and Julia Martinez registered double-doubles, and Saint Louis withstood Fordham's late challenge to post an 87-84 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over the Rams Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena.
 
The scoring total was McMakin's fourth of 30 or more points this season. Her 11-of-20 shooting performance included a 3-of-5 effort from beyond the arc, and she equaled her season high of eight made free throws.
 
Flowers was 10-of-13 from the floor, scoring 23 points on the heels of her career-high 24-point output Wednesday at Davidson. She grabbed 10 rebounds, including five offensive boards, to complete her seventh double-double of the season.
 
Martinez turned in her fifth double-double of the year, collecting a career-high 13 assists and a game-high 12 rebounds as SLU earned a 43-35 advantage on the glass. She collected six of the Billikens' 16 offensive rebounds as Saint Louis outscored Fordham 23-2 in second-chance points.
 
Martinez also had a game-high five steals, lifting her into seventh place on SLU's career list with 153 thefts.
 
The Bills have had two players achieve a double-double in two of the last three games.
 
Peyton Kennedy played a key role off the bench, pouring in 17 points on 6-of-10 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the foul line. Kennedy added five rebounds.
 
The Billikens' 87 points are the most they have scored in an A-10 game this season. Their 29 first-quarter points and 49 first-half points also are season bests in a conference game.
 
Saint Louis trailed by six points twice in the final minute of the third quarter. The Billikens broke the Fordham press in the closing seconds, and Martinez fired a perfect pass to Flowers for a layup at the buzzer, cutting the Rams' lead to 69-65.
 
After the teams traded baskets early in the fourth, SLU embarked on a 10-0 run in which McMakin tallied the first eight points, and the Bills had a 77-71 lead at the 3:48 mark.
 
After Fordham cut the margin in half with a 3-pointer, three free throws and a Flowers bucket put Saint Louis on top 82-74 with 1:23 to play. The Rams chipped away and tied it at 84 with 21 seconds remaining on a layup following a steal.
 
McMakin drew a foul and sank two free throws to put SLU back in front with 18 seconds left. On Fordham's ensuing possession, the Rams had two tries at a potential game-winning 3-pointer but misfired on both. A McMakin free throw accounted for the final score.
 
The Billikens raced to a 9-0 lead as four different players scored in the opening 2:23. After Fordham responded with an 8-0 run of its own, Saint Louis outscored the Rams 20-9 and led 29-17 after one quarter.
 
SLU matched its largest lead of 14 with a Flowers jumper on its initial second-quarter possession. Fordham pulled to within seven on three occasions, but a 10-4 spurt that included seven points from Kennedy gave the Billikens a 47-34 advantage. Saint Louis led 49-38 at intermission.
 
Fordham took its first lead, 53-51, with 6:47 left in the third quarter. There were four lead changes and two ties the rest of the period, which ended with the Rams up by four.
 
The Billikens host George Mason Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 11 a.m. in SLU women's basketball's annual Education Day game.