SLU’s Kellen Thames goes for a slam dunk during Sunday’s NCAA Men’s basketball game against Chicago State at Chaifetz Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago State (0-11) | 33 | 29 | 62 |
| SLU (6-3) | 41 | 44 | 85 |
Jason Barnes
Special to the Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — Robbie Avila led five Saint Louis University players in double figures with a game-high 19 points, SLU outscored Chicago State 35-13 over the final 15 minutes, and the Billikens improved to 6-3 with an 85-62 victory over the Cougars, Sunday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.
Gibson Jimerson scored 18 points, 16 of which came in the second half as he connected on all four of his 3-pointers following intermission. Kalu Anya and Isaiah Swope tallied 14 points apiece, and Kellen Thames added in 13.
Anya grabbed a game-high nine rebounds to help Saint Louis gain a 44-33 edge on the glass. Jimerson, who matched his season high, and Avila collected seven boards apiece.
Swope equaled his season bests of seven assists (game high) and five rebounds. Anya and Avila recorded four assists apiece.
The Billikens shot 55.2 percent (16-of-29) from the field overall and 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from beyond the arc in the second half. Their 12 treys (12-of-29, 41.4 percent) tied their second-highest total of the season.
Saint Louis’ 41-33 halftime lead almost completely evaporated in the early stages of the second half as Chicago State outscored the Billikens 16-9 to trail just 50-49 with 15:31 remaining.
But 3-pointers by Jimerson on consecutive possessions extended the lead to 56-51 and sparked an offensive flurry that helped the Bills pull away. The SLU defense also played a big role, shutting out Chicago State over a 4-and-a-half-minute stretch while the margin ballooned to 20 points, 74-54, at the 7:27 mark.
Except for a 10-10 tie, Saint Louis led the entire way. A pair of Avila three-point plays, sandwiched around two Thames free throws, put the Billikens on top 27-18.
Chicago State answered with a 13-5 spurt that narrowed the gap to a single point, 32-31, with 2:25 left. But a 9-2 run, punctuated at the buzzer by Anya’s first 3-pointer of the season, pushed the lead to eight.
Following a break for final exam week, SLU will play at Illinois State on Sunday, December 15. Tip off is set for 4 p.m., and the game will be televised on the FanDuel Sports Network.
SLU’s next home game will be December 18. The Billikens will host Wofford, with tip off scheduled for 7 p.m.
Chicago State 62
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Crawford,Noble | * | 33 | 6-10 | 3-4 | 3-4 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
| 13 | Forrest,Jalen | * | 26 | 5-10 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 3-4 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 01 | McKoy, Jr.,Troy | * | 24 | 3-6 | 2-5 | 3-4 | 0-1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 11 |
| 05 | Jernigan,Cameron | * | 23 | 2-9 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
| 10 | Robinson,Matthew | * | 21 | 0-6 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Delancy,CJ | 17 | 2-4 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 00 | Spate,Greg | 13 | 3-5 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 12 | Spinelli,Gabe | 20 | 1-7 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 3 | |
| 04 | Sunderland,Saxby | 18 | 0-4 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 03 | Spinelli,Joe | 3 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 22 | Cox,Dailliss | 1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 25 | Brown,Michael | 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 | 2-1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 22-62 | 8-24 | 10-15 | 13-20 | 33 | 18 | 11 | 11 | 5 | 5 | 62 |
SLU 85
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 21 | Avila, Robbie | * | 31 | 6-12 | 1-4 | 6-6 | 1-6 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 19 |
| 24 | Jimerson, Gibson | * | 37 | 5-14 | 4-10 | 4-4 | 0-7 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| 01 | Swope, Isaiah | * | 37 | 6-14 | 2-8 | 0-0 | 3-2 | 5 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| 06 | Anya, Kalu | * | 32 | 6-7 | 1-1 | 1-4 | 3-6 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| 00 | Thames, Kellen | * | 23 | 4-8 | 2-3 | 3-3 | 3-1 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| 04 | McCottry, Amari | 17 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| 14 | Brockhoff, Kilian | 3 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 35 | Pikaar, Max | 14 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 1-3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 05 | Schertz, Jaden | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 12 | Holmes, Isaac | 3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 2-0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 29-60 | 12-29 | 15-20 | 14-30 | 44 | 13 | 19 | 11 | 2 | 6 | 85 |
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) | FanDuel Sports Network |
| December 18, 2024 (Wednesday) | 7 pm | Home | Wofford | Chaifetz Arena |  |
| 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) |