ST. LOUIS –
Robbie Avila scored a game-high 22 points,
Gibson Jimerson posted his first career double-double, and Saint Louis sank a season-high 15 3-pointers in an 81-66 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over Rhode Island Saturday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.
The win puts the Billikens (15-12, 8-6 A-10) in a three-way tie with Dayton and Saint Joseph's for fourth place in the A-10 with four games remaining. The top four teams in the final standings receive a double bye in the A-10 Championship.
Jimerson's double-double was a 21-point, career- and game-high 11-rebound effort. He netted five 3-pointers as SLU shot 39.5 percent (15-of-38) from beyond the arc, and he added a season-high four assists.
Amari McCottry also played a major role, scoring all of his career-high 13 points in the second half. McCottry's 4-of-4 second-half shooting including two treys, and he was 3-of-3 from the foul line. He also grabbed a career-high eight rebounds (six in the second half), helping Saint Louis register a 42-29 edge on the glass.
Isaiah Swope had a game- and season-high four steals, a season-high-tying five rebounds and four assists.
The Billikens did not allow an offensive rebound and outscored the Rams 12-0 in second-chance points. SLU also recorded a 21-10 advantage in bench points.
Saint Louis led 38-32 at halftime and quickly extended the lead to nine points on Jimerson's 3-pointer just 19 seconds into the second half. Rhode Island, which never led, answered with a 10-2 run that made it 43-42 with 17:05 left.
Less than a minute later, McCottry canned a 3-pointer that gave the Billikens some breathing room, and he followed with a layup that stretched SLU's lead to six. The two buckets sparked a 23-7 spurt during which McCottry scored 11 points and Avila tallied nine, and it was 66-49 Saint Louis at the 9:53 mark.
Rhode Island narrowed the gap to 10 points, 69-59, with 6:01 to play. But a 12-2 run in which five different players scored gave the Billikens their largest lead, 81-61, with 1:39 remaining.
Saint Louis led by 10 points twice in the first half before settling for its six-point halftime advantage.
The Billikens play at Davidson Tuesday, Feb. 25, at 6 p.m. Central. The game will be carried on FanDuel Sports Network and ESPN+.
