SLU’s Robbie Avila makes a move with the ball during Saturday’s Atlantic 10 basketball game against Duquesne. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | OT | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duquesne (13-18, 8-10) | 40 | 40 | 8 | 88 |
| SLU (18-13, 11-7) | 38 | 42 | 10 | 90 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — Isaiah Swope drained a pair of three-pointers in the final 30 seconds of regulation to force overtime, then hit another one in overtime to give Saint Louis University the lead for good in what proved to be a heart-stopping 90-88 win for the Billikens over Duquesne in an Atlantic 10 Conference matchup, Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena.
Swope finished with 17 points, but somehow was topped by teammates Gibson Jimerson and Robbie Avila, who had 35 points and 22 points, respectively to lead Saint Louis.
Jimerson, whose 35 points were a career high, also made a career-high 14 field goals, including four three-pointers. He also had eight rebounds.
Avila, who also made four three-pointers, put the nail in Duquesne’s coffin with a three in the final minute of overtime.
Gibson Jimerson scored a career-high 35 points in SLU’s win over Duquesne, Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Saint Louis trailed 80-74 after Duquesne’s Tre Dinkins hit a jumper with 41 seconds left in the second half. Swope then went to work from beyond the arc, drilling two treys sandwiched around a Duquesne turnover in a span of just seven seconds.
Duquesne’s potential game-winning 3-point attempt was off the mark, and SLU headed into its second overtime contest of the season.
In the extra session, the Billikens gained a two-point lead twice but trailed 85-84 after Maximus Edwards connected from the arc with 1:45 remaining.
Swope answered immediately with a triple of his own at the 1:31 mark that put Saint Louis on top for good, and Avila connected from deep for a 90-85 lead with 36 seconds to play. The Bills made a stop on Duquesne’s next possession, making a Dukes 3-pointer at the buzzer meaningless.
The first half featured 12 lead changes. A 9-0 run gave Saint Louis its largest lead of the game, 27-19, with 9:26 left, but Duquesne outscored the Bills 21-11 the rest of the half to take a 40-38 lead to the locker room.
Duquesne led 46-40 two minutes into the second half. After SLU scored six quick points to draw even, Duquesne regained the upper hand at the 16:06 mark. Except for brief ties at 63, 65 and 67, and the final deadlock of 80 at the buzzer, the Dukes led for most of the remainder of the second half.
Isaiah Swope scored 17 points in SLU’s win over Duquesne, Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
SLU will now head into the postseason with an 18-13 record, after finishing 11-7 in the Atlantic 10. The Billikens will be the No. 5 seed in A-10 Tournament, which will begin on Wednesday.
SLU has earned a bye through the first round and will face either No. 12-seed Davidson or No. 13-seed Richmond in the second round. That game will be on Thursday at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C. Tip off is set for 1 p.m., and the game will be televised on the USA Network.
Duquesne 88
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 00 | Dinkins,Tre | * | 39 | 6-19 | 2-8 | 2-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 16 |
| 07 | Necas,Jakub | * | 33 | 6-7 | 2-3 | 0-0 | 2-3 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 14 |
| 01 | Crawford,Cameron | * | 30 | 6-10 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 |
| 25 | Wilborn,Eli | * | 25 | 4-6 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
| 14 | Hronsky,Matus | * | 10 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 08 | Edwards,Maximus | 35 | 5-11 | 1-6 | 2-2 | 0-5 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 13 | |
| 03 | Rozier,Kareem | 21 | 4-8 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 11 | |
| 04 | Corbett,Jahsean | 12 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 02 | Dixon,David | 20 | 2-5 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 4-4 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 225 | 36-72 | 10-29 | 6-7 | 11-19 | 30 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 2 | 9 | 88 |
SLU 90
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Jimerson, Gibson | * | 45 | 14-20 | 4-8 | 3-5 | 2-6 | 8 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 35 |
| 21 | Avila, Robbie | * | 44 | 8-15 | 4-7 | 2-2 | 2-5 | 7 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 22 |
| 01 | Swope, Isaiah | * | 44 | 7-14 | 3-10 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 5 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
| 08 | Johnson, Kobe | * | 41 | 2-3 | 1-2 | 2-2 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7 |
| 06 | Anya, Kalu | * | 12 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 04 | McCottry, Amari | 29 | 4-5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 2-2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8 | |
| 33 | Warlick, Dylan | 8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |
| 35 | Pikaar, Max | 2 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 225 | 35-59 | 12-27 | 8-12 | 8-26 | 34 | 10 | 21 | 18 | 3 | 8 | 90 |
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 | L 74-71 (6-5) |
| December 22, 2024 (Sunday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Grand Canyon | Phoenix, Ariz. (Global Credit Union Arena) | L 73-72 (6-6) |
| December 28, 2024 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | William Woods | Chaifetz Arena | W 78-57 (7-6) |
| December 31, 2024 (Tuesday) | 1 pm | Away | Fordham | New York, N.Y. (Rose Hill Gym) | W 88-63 (8-6) |
| January 3, 2025 (Friday) | 8 pm | Home | Saint Joseph’s | Chaifetz Arena | W 73-57 (9-6) |
| January 8, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | St. Bonaventure | Chaifetz Arena | W 73-68 (10-6) |
| January 14, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | VCU | Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center) | L 78-62 (10-7) |
| January 18, 2025 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Away | Richmond | Richmond, Va. (Robins Center) | W 63-59 (11-7) |
| January 22, 2025 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | La Salle | Chaifetz Arena | W 64-52 (12-7) |
| January 25, 2025 (Saturday) | 1 pm | Away | George Washington | Washington, D.C (Smith Center) | L 67-61 (12-8) |
| January 28, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | VCU | Chaifetz Arena | W 78-69 (13-8) |
| January 31, 2025 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | Dayton | Chaifetz Arena | L 71-63 (13-9) |
| February 4, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Massachusetts | Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center) | W 73-71 (14-9) |
| February 7, 2025 (Friday) | 8 pm | Away | Saint Joseph’s | Philadelphia, Pa. (Hagan Arena) | L 76-73 (14-10) |
| February 11, 2025 (Tuesday) | 7 pm | Home | George Mason | Chaifetz Arena | L 76-74 (14-11) |
| February 14, 2025 (Friday) | 6 pm | Away | Loyola Chicago | Chicago, Ill. (Gentile Arena) | L 79-68 (14-12) |
| February 22, 2025 (Saturday) | 1:30 pm | Home | Rhode Island | Chaifetz Arena | W 81-66 (15-12) |
| February 25, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Davidson | Davidson, N.C. (Belk Arena) | W 57-56 (16-12) |
| March 1, 2025 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Home | Loyola Chicago | Chaifetz Arena | W 98-67 (17-12) |
| March 4, 2025 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Dayton | Dayton, Ohio (UD Arena) | L 75-67 (17-13) |
| March 8, 2025 (Saturday) | 7 pm | Home | Duquesne | Chaifetz Arena | W 90-88 (18-13) |
| March 13, 2025 | 1 pm | Neutral | Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament | Washington, D.C. (Capital One Arena) | USA Network |