No. 24 Saint Louis will chase program history when it heads to St. Bonaventure for an Atlantic 10 Conference showdown on Friday.
Riding a 12-game winning streak, the Billikens (18-1, 6-0) are just one victory shy of matching the 1993-94 team for the best 20-game start in the program’s 110-year history.
St. Louis has built its winning streak by controlling the glass. The Billikens rank fifth in the nation in both rebounds — an average of 43.2 per game — and rebounding margin (plus-11.4).
In an 81-77 win at Duquesne on Tuesday, St. Louis withstood a furious rally by the Dukes and overcame a series of late turnovers to escape with the victory.
“For a team that has been very disciplined and intelligent, we played a very undisciplined and unintelligent game, which is a reflection on the coaching. I didn’t do a very good job of getting them ready to play,” Billikens coach Josh Schertz said. “If a team isn’t tough, if a team isn’t disciplined, it’s bad coaching. We were very unsound on both ends, and I have to do a better job. Hopefully, we learn from this.”
Robbie Avila, Dion Brown and Trey Green each scored 14 points to lead St. Louis, while Brady Dunlap added 11 and Kellen Thames 10.
The Billikens have six players who average in double figures, led by Avila (12.8 points). The Illinois native shoots 53.4% from the field and 44.7% from 3-point range.
Schertz said Avila is “one of the best closers in the game.”
“If I need to score 20 one night, maybe that’s what it takes,” Avila said. “But if I need to be a facilitator or a rebound or something like that, great. And that’s not just me. I think it’s the entire team that has that same type of mentality.”
The Bonnies (12-7, 1-5), meanwhile, snapped a five-game losing streak with an 84-70 victory over Loyola Chicago on Tuesday.
Darryl Simmons II led St. Bonaventure with 26 points but connected on just 1 of 6 attempts from 3-point range in the first half. In the second half, however, he made 5 of 7 shots from beyond the arc.
Simmons, who shoots 41.3% (50 of 121) on 3-point attempts, knows there’s an ebb and flow that comes with shooting from long distance.
“Basketball is always a game of runs you make and miss shots,” said Simmons, who scored 21 points in the second half vs. Loyola Chicago. “I just need to keep being confident and trusting the work I’ve been doing throughout the whole year.”
Frank Mitchell collected 18 points, 11 rebounds and five steals for the Bonnies. Cayden Charles recorded 16 points and 10 boards, while Joe Grahovac added 10 points off the bench.
“We want to keep riding this roller coaster,” said Mitchell, who leads the Bonnies in scoring (17.3 points per game) and rebounds (10.4). “Let it roll and stack up some wins.”
–Field Level Media
