SLU’s Gibson Jimerson makes a move for the basket during Sunday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against Illinois State. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLU (6-4) | 31 | 46 | 77 |
| Illinois State (6-4) | 43 | 38 | 81 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
NORMAL, IL — A slow start turned into a rough first half, which saw the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team fall behind host Illinois State by 22 points. But the Billikens rallied back to within two points on two separate occasions.
Unfortunately, that was as close as Saint Louis would get, as it eventually lost, 81-77, in a non-conference NCAA game at ISU’s CEFCU Arena.
Junior center Robbie Avila led all scorers with a season-high 28 points and was a big part of SLU’s second-half rally, scoring 21 of his points after intermission.
Senior Isaiah Swope finished with 22 points thanks in part to 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Fellow senior Gibson Jimerson chipped in with 15 points, and in the process became the ninth active NCAA Division I player to reach 2,000 or more career points.
The Billikens shot a sizzling 59.3 percent in the second half to finish at 48.1 percent for the game. They hit 12 treys and shot 92.9 percent (12-13) from the foul line as well. Indiana State finished with a 52.7 percent shooting mark from the field.
SLU’s Robbie Avila looks for someone to pass to during Sunday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against Illinois State. (Photo courtesy: SLU Athletics)
The Redbirds came out hot, hitting 10 of their first 12 shots from the field. Illinois State went on an early 11-0 run and built a lead as large as 22 in the opening half before the Bills started to chip away.
Swope had three 3-pointers as part of a 15-3 spurt as SLU closed it to 43-31 at halftime. The Billiken defense did not allow an ISU field goal over the final 5:53 of the opening period.
The second half saw SLU hang around, but it wasn’t able to break through until the very end. SLU was down by seven with 2:16 left before Swope nailed a trey and Jimerson scored a basket to pull SLU within two of the lead.
A pair of Jimerson free throws with 12 seconds left made it a 79-77 game, but Illinois State hit two free throws down the stretch for the four-point cushion.
SLU’s Isaiah Swope makes a move for the basket during Sunday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against Illinois State. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The loss dropped SLU’s record to 6-4, while Illinois State improved to 6-4 also.
The Billikens will return to action on Wednesday, when they’ll host Wofford in another non-conference game at Chaifetz Arena. Tip off is set for 7 p.m., and the game will be televised on the FanDuel Sports Network.
SLU 77
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Avila, Robbie | * | 30 | 10-17 | 3-8 | 5-5 | 2-3 | 5 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
| 01 | Swope, Isaiah | * | 35 | 7-15 | 6-10 | 2-2 | 1-0 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 22 |
| 24 | Jimerson, Gibson | * | 40 | 4-13 | 2-9 | 5-5 | 1-5 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 15 |
| 08 | Johnson, Kobe | * | 31 | 3-5 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| 06 | Anya, Kalu | * | 33 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-6 | 9 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 14 | Brockhoff, Kilian | 10 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 04 | McCottry, Amari | 4 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 33 | Warlick, Dylan | 6 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 00 | Thames, Kellen | 10 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 35 | Pikaar, Max | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 26-54 | 12-31 | 13-14 | 10-20 | 30 | 23 | 14 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 77 |
Illinois St. 81
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35 | Walker,Chase | * | 31 | 10-15 | 2-2 | 5-7 | 4-4 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 27 |
| 11 | Kinziger,Johnny | * | 36 | 6-13 | 2-3 | 6-7 | 1-5 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 20 |
| 03 | Banks,Dalton | * | 31 | 3-8 | 0-3 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 8 |
| 22 | Pence,Ty | * | 24 | 3-5 | 1-1 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 04 | Wolf,Landon | * | 26 | 3-6 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| 01 | Poindexter,Malachi | 24 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 05 | Davis,Jordan | 15 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 33 | Boser,Caden | 8 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 00 | Daugherty,Jack | 5 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 29-55 | 8-17 | 15-21 | 10-18 | 28 | 12 | 13 | 8 | 4 | 4 | 81 |
2024-25 SLU BILLIKENS MEN’S BASKETBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | TV/Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 4, 2024 (Monday) | 2 pm | Neutral | Santa Clara | Sioux Falls, S.D. | L 85-78 (0-1) |
| November 10, 2024 (Sunday) | 3 pm | Home | Avila | Chaifetz Arena | W 95-44 (1-1) |
| November 16, 2024 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Loyola Marymount | Chaifetz Arena | W 77-71 (2-1) |
| November 22, 2024 (Friday) | 9:30 pm | Neutral | Wichita State | Kansas City, Mo. (T-Mobile Center) | L 88-63 (2-2) |
| November 25, 2024 (Monday) | 7 pm | Home | Quinnipiac | Chaifetz Arena | W 81-67 (3-2) |
| November 27, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | UMass Lowell | Chaifetz Arena | W 93-90 (4-2) |
| December 2, 2024 (Monday) | 7 pm | Home | Jackson State | Chaifetz Arena | W 74-66 (5-2) |
| December 5, 2024 (Thursday) | 9 pm | Away | San Francisco | San Francisco, Calif. (War Memorial) | L 78-61 (5-3) |
| December 8, 2024 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | Chicago State | Chaifetz Arena | W 85-62 (6-3) |
| December 15, 2024 (Sunday) | 4 pm | Away | Illinois State | Normal, Ill. (CEFCU Arena) | L 81-77 (6-4) |
| December 18, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Wofford | Chaifetz Arena | FanDuel Sports Network |
| December 22, 2024 (Sunday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Grand Canyon | Phoenix, Ariz. (Global Credit Union Arena) |  |
| December 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | William Woods | Chaifetz Arena | |
| December 31, 2024 (Tuesday) | 1 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. (Rose Hill Gym) | |
| January 3, 2025 (Friday) | 8 pm | Home | Saint Joseph’s | Chaifetz Arena |  |
| January 8, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | St. Bonaventure | Chaifetz Arena | Peacock |
| January 14, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | VCU | Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) | |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Away | Richmond | Richmond, Va. (Robins Center) | USA Network |
| January 22, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | La Salle | Chaifetz Arena | |
| January 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C (Smith Center) | |
| January 28, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | VCU | Chaifetz Arena | CBS Sports Network |
| January 31, 2025 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | Dayton | Chaifetz Arena | |
| February 4, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Massachusetts | Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center) | |
| February 7, 2025 (Friday) | 8 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. (Hagan Arena) | ESPN Networks |
| February 11, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | George Mason | Chaifetz Arena | |
| February 14, 2025 (Friday) | 6 pm | Away | Loyola Chicago | Chicago, Ill. (Gentile Arena) | |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Chaifetz Arena | USA Network |
| February 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Davidson | Davidson, N.C. (Belk Arena) | |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Home | Loyola Chicago | Chaifetz Arena | CBS Sports Network |
| March 4, 2025 (Tuesday) | TBA | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena) | |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Duquesne | Chaifetz Arena | |
| March 12-16 | TBA | Neutral | Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament | Washington, D.C. (Capital One Arena) |