ST. LOUIS – Saint Louis outscored Fordham 21-8 over the final seven minutes of the first half to take command, and the Billikens went on to register their 10th consecutive victory, 78-56 over Fordham Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena.
 
Saint Louis (16-1, 4-0 Atlantic 10) became just the fourth team in program history to win 16 of its first 17 games. The 1993-94 team started 19-1, and the 1947-48 and 1948-49 teams started 16-1.
 
Additionally, the Billikens extended their school-record Chaifetz Arena winning streak to 15 dating to last season.
 
Kellen Thames led SLU in scoring for a second time in three games, tossing in 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Thames added five rebounds.
 
Quentin Jones (13, including his 1,000th career point), Amari McCottry (12) and Brady Dunlap (10) also reached double figures. McCottry grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Robbie Avila had nine points, five rebounds and a game-high five assists, and Dion Brown collected four assists.
 
The Bills shot 50.9 percent (28-of-55) from the field overall, the 10th time this season and seventh time in the last 10 games they have topped the 50-percent mark. SLU connected on 40 percent (12-of-30) from beyond the arc, reaching double digits in 3-pointers for an 11th time this year and sixth time in the last seven outings.
 
Saint Louis committed just six turnovers, its fifth single-digit total this season with all five coming in the last nine games.
 
The teams traded runs in the first half. SLU's 14-4 spurt, led by Avila (six points) and Thames (five) and featuring four 3-pointers, put the Billikens in front 19-9 with 11:55 remaining. Fordham countered with a 13-4 run that trimmed the Saint Louis lead to 23-22 at the 8:16 mark.
 
A trio of Billikens sparked the flurry down the stretch of the first half. Brown and Jones combined for the first 10 points, with Brown's pair of 3-pointers bracketing four straight free throws by Jones. Jones added a bucket to boost the margin to double digits for good at 35-24.
 
Following an Ishan Sharma trey, Thames scored the final six points of the half to give SLU a 44-30 cushion at intermission.
 
Fordham drilled a 3-pointer on its second possession of the second half to make it an 11-point game, but the Rams drew no closer. An 11-2 run lifted SLU's advantage to 68-46 with 6:37 to play, and the margin remained in the 20s for all but six seconds the rest of the way.
 
The Billikens host Richmond Saturday, Jan. 17, at 3 p.m. The game will be carried on CBS Sports Network.