SLU’s Sincere Parker scored 34 points in a losing effort, Saturday at Saint Joseph’s. (Photo courtesy: SLU Athletics)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLU (9-15, 2-9) | 45 | 41 | 86 |
| Saint Joseph’s (16-8, 6-5) | 43 | 44 | 87 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
PHILADELPHIA, PA — Despite topping his career-high in points for the second straight game, Sincere Parker and the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team came up one play short in a scintillating Atlantic 10 Conference ballgame, Saturday afternoon at Saint Joseph’s Hagan Arena.
Parker scored 33 points in Saint Louis’ win over La Salle on Wednesday, and then topped it with 34 points on Saturday against Saint Joe’s.
Unfortunately, on the game’s final play, the Hawks were able to steal the ball away from Parker before he could get a final shot up, which allowed the home team to hang on for an 87-86 win.
“We played better basketball, but it’s how we lost,” SLU head coach Travis Ford said. “You can’t turn the ball over 22 times. We shouldn’t be doing it this time of year. It’s just disappointing. It’s been our Achilles heel. We fix one thing and then it becomes something else. It’s just uncalled for. We should have won this.”
The Billikens trailed by 11 points midway through the second half, but put together a fierce 14-2 run to re-take the lead. Terrence Hargrove capped the run with a short jumper in the lane and a free throw to give Saint Louis a 74-73 lead with just under six minutes remaining.
From that point on, the clubs battled back and forth, with each team tying the score and taking the lead at different points.
Parker made a jumper with 2:46 to go to put SLU ahead 78-76. Then after Saint Joe’s went ahead, he made another one with 1:12 to go to put the Billikens ahead 82-81.
Saint Joe’s took the lead with two free throws, but this time, it was Hargrove who made a clutch shot to put SLU ahead 84-83 with 43 seconds left. The Hawks took the lead again on a fastbreak dunk with 21 seconds left.
That set the stage for what looked like it might be the game-winner, a shot Parker made with 12 seconds left that gave the Billikens an 86-85 lead. But Saint Joe’s’ Xzayvier Brown made two free throws with 7 seconds left to give his team the lead again.
Saint Louis inbounded the ball to Parker, who seemed ready to make his move for the basket, but just as he did, a Saint Joe defender swiped the ball away from him as time expired to give the Hawks the win.
The loss dropped SLU’s record to 9-15 overall and 2-9 in Atlantic 10 play. Saint Joe’s, which lost to SLU in Saint Louis back in January, is now 16-8 and 6-5 in conference play.
The Billikens will get the chance to right their ship on Friday, when they’ll host VCU in an A-10 game at Chaifetz Arena. Tip off for that contest is set for 6 p.m., with the game being televised nationally on ESPN2.
Saint Louis University 86
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 | Hargrove Jr.,Terrence | * | 30 | 6-12 | 2-4 | 5-6 | 1-7 | 8 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 02 | Hughes II,Larry | * | 31 | 4-7 | 3-5 | 4-5 | 2-2 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 15 |
| 24 | Jimerson,Gibson | * | 37 | 2-5 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 2-6 | 8 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6 |
| 01 | Medley,Cian | * | 18 | 1-4 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| 03 | Ezewiro,Bradley | * | 14 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 5 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| 21 | Parker,Sincere | 27 | 12-19 | 4-7 | 6-6 | 0-9 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 34 | |
| 00 | Thames,Kellen | 19 | 2-3 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 12 | Zhang,Bruce | 10 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | |
| 04 | Curcic,Djordje | 9 | 0-2 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 15 | van Bussel,Stef | 5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 28-57 | 11-26 | 19-22 | 9-31 | 40 | 24 | 8 | 22 | 6 | 7 | 86 |
Saint Joseph’s 87
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Brown,Xzayvier | * | 36 | 6-13 | 4-9 | 11-14 | 1-4 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 27 |
| 03 | Brown,Cameron | * | 40 | 8-12 | 5-7 | 2-2 | 0-7 | 7 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 23 |
| 02 | Reynolds II,Erik | * | 31 | 3-11 | 1-7 | 4-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11 |
| 23 | Finkley,Anthony | * | 26 | 4-7 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 13 | Fleming,Rasheer | * | 21 | 4-11 | 0-2 | 1-2 | 3-1 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 9 |
| 05 | Greer III,Lynn | 25 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| 10 | Simmons II,Shawn | 10 | 1-3 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 00 | Klaczek,Kacper | 11 | 0-4 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 29-66 | 11-31 | 18-25 | 9-21 | 30 | 18 | 14 | 10 | 3 | 11 | 87 |
2023-24 SLU Billikens Men’s Basketball Schedule
| Date | Gametime | At | Opponent | Location | TV | Radio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 16, 2024 (Friday) | 6 pm | Home | VCU | Chaifetz Arena | ESPN2 | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 20, 2024 (Tuesday) | 6 pm | Away | Duquesne | Pittsburgh, Pa. (UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse) | Bally Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 24, 2024 (Saturday) | 2 pm | Home | George Washington | Chaifetz Arena | Bally Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| February 28, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Richmond | Chaifetz Arena | Bally Sports Midwest | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 2, 2024 (Saturday) | 3 pm | Away | Rhode Island | Kingston, R.I. (Ryan Center) | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 5, 2024 (Tuesday) | 8 pm | Home | Dayton | Chaifetz Arena | CBSSN | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 9, 2024 (Saturday) | 11:30 am | Away | St. Bonaventure | St. Bonaventure, N.Y. (Reilly Center) | USA Network | KMOX 1120AM |
| March 12-17 Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament | TBA | Neutral | TBA | Brooklyn, N.Y. (Barclay’s Center) |