PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Saint Louis led after the first quarter, but a big second quarter from Saint Joseph's made it hard to come back and the Bills 69-49 on Wednesday.
 
The Bills scored on their opening possession, but the Hawks quickly responded with an 8-0 run to force a media timeout. Shun'teria Anumele ended SLU's scoring drought with a basket and continued to attack the charity stripe, converting efficiently.
 
Mya Glanton made an immediate impact and Peyton Kennedy hit a three-pointer to give SLU the lead. Kennedy Calhoun then picked the pocket of a SJU player, scoring on a fast-break layup to push the lead to 15-10
 
Going into the second quarter, SLU was up 17-16, but was then outscored 28-8. The Hawks came out strong, opening the second quarter with a 13-2 run to take a 29-19 lead. Laura Ziegler scored 19 points in the first half but was held to just eight in the second. The Billikens struggled with rebounding, recording only nine in the first half.
 
After the break, the Billikens faced a 19-point deficit 44-25. However, SLU responded with a 10-4 run, cutting the lead to 13. SLU managed to outscore St. Joe's 15-12 in the third quarter, while its defense continued to shine. SLU forced 23 turnovers, its most in a conference game this season, and racked up 14 team steals, another season-high mark in conference play.
 
Tierra Simon was a standout for SLU, contributing 14 points and three blocks. Peyton Kennedy had 10 points and Anumele added 9 points, four rebounds, and three steals. Glanton rounded out the strong performance with 8 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Calhoun had seven assists to give her over 350 in her Saint Louis career.
 
Saint Louis is back in action Saturday for Senior Day against La Salle. Tipoff on ESPN+ is set for 7 p.m. central.