ST. LOUIS – A 22-0 run midway through the second half and six double-figure scorers carried Saint Louis to a 108-86 victory over Chicago State Thursday night at Chaifetz Arena.
SLU improved to 2-0, while Chicago State fell to 0-2.
The Billikens' 108 points are the second most they have scored at Chaifetz Arena overall and the most they have scored on their current home court against a Division I opponent.
Ishan Sharma led the scoring outburst with a career-high 16 points, including a 5-of-8 effort from beyond the arc.
Kellen Thames' 15 points were one shy of matching his career best, and
Robbie Avila also had 15.
Quentin Jones,
Trey Green and
Amari McCottry tossed in 14, 11 and 10 points, respectively.
SLU shot 33-of-62 (53.2 percent) from the field overall, 12-of-32 (37.5 percent) from 3-point range and 30-of-33 (90.9 percent) from the foul line. The Bills had scoring advantages of 42-24 in the paint, 41-24 on fast breaks and 58-25 in bench points.
Green equaled his career high of six rebounds, while Avila and McCottry also pulled down six boards. Thames had a career-high-tying and game-high four steals, and
Paul Otieno recorded a game-high three blocks.
Saint Louis led 66-58 following two Chicago State free throws at the 13:33 mark of the second half. Those were the last points the Cougars would score over the next four minutes as the Billikens began their decisive run.
Six different players scored during the spurt, with Sharma draining two of his treys to lead the way. Part of the flurry was a 7-0 mini run in a span of just 18 seconds that featured consecutive steals by Thames, Jones and Thames again that all led to baskets.
The Bills built the lead to 36 points, 95-59, with 7:44 remaining.
The game was tied on six occasions in the first eight minutes, the final time a 17-17 deadlock. One of Green's three triples put the Billikens in front for good at 20-17.
The lead was 24-23 with 8:34 remaining when SLU began to gradually gain some breathing room. A 16-5 run, featuring a four-point play and a second trey from Sharma and five points from Thames, gave the Bills their largest first-half advantage, 40-28, at the 5:22 mark. The lead was 51-40 at intermission.
Saint Louis hosts Lindenwood Monday, Nov. 10, at 7 p.m.
