SLU’s Gibson Jimerson scored 33 points to lead the Billikens to a win over Fordham on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy: SLU Athletics)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| SLU (8-6, 1-0) | 42 | 46 | 88 |
| Fordham (8-6, 0-1) | 29 | 34 | 63 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
BRONX, NY — Gibson Jimerson, the school’s all-time leading scorer, dropped a career-high 33 points to lead the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team to an 88-63 win over Fordham, in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams, Wednesday afternoon at Fordham’s Rose Hill Gymnasium.
Saint Louis, which ended the 2024 calendar year with a dominant win over William Woods last Saturday, began the new year with another one over Fordham.
The Billikens led from start to finish, in a matchup where they shot 60 percent from the floor, led by 13 points at halftime, and pushed that edge to as many as 30 points midway through the second half.
Jimerson was one of three Saint Louis players to score in double figures. Teammates Robbie Avila and Isaiah Swope added 19 points and 15 points, respectively.
But Jimerson, who scored 26 of those 33 points in the first half, was the star. The grad student from Richmond, Va., made 11-of-14 shots, including five three-pointers and also pulled down eight rebounds to carry the Billikens.
SLU’s Isaiah Swope battles two defenders during Wednesday’s Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball game against Fordham. (Photo courtesy: Fordham Athletics)
The victory lifted SLU’s overall record to 8-6.
Saint Louis will have a quick turnaround and be back in action on Friday, when it will host Saint Joseph’s in another A-10 league game at Chaifetz Arena. That contest is slated to tip off at 8 p.m., and will be televised nationally on ESPN2.
SLU 88
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Jimerson, Gibson | * | 36 | 11-14 | 5-6 | 6-8 | 1-7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 33 |
| 21 | Avila, Robbie | * | 34 | 7-12 | 2-5 | 3-3 | 1-4 | 5 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 19 |
| 01 | Swope, Isaiah | * | 37 | 7-12 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 1-3 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 06 | Anya, Kalu | * | 30 | 3-7 | 0-1 | 1-3 | 2-8 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 7 |
| 08 | Johnson, Kobe | * | 31 | 1-3 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 |
| 35 | Pikaar, Max | 11 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6 | |
| 00 | Thames, Kellen | 10 | 2-6 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | |
| 14 | Brockhoff, Kilian | 5 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 33 | Warlick, Dylan | 6 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-5 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 35-58 | 8-21 | 10-14 | 7-30 | 37 | 13 | 15 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 88 |
Fordham 63
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | Johnson III,Jackie | * | 28 | 5-10 | 0-1 | 4-6 | 0-4 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 14 |
| 03 | Tripp,Jahmere | * | 28 | 5-14 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 1-0 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 12 |
| 30 | Tsimbila,Abdou | * | 23 | 3-6 | 0-0 | 3-4 | 4-5 | 9 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 9 |
| 02 | Dean,Romad | * | 27 | 2-5 | 2-4 | 2-2 | 0-4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| 00 | Medor,Japhet | * | 25 | 1-6 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| 05 | Rivera,Josh | 25 | 4-10 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 8 | |
| 13 | Riley,Zach | 21 | 2-5 | 1-3 | 0-0 | 0-3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |
| 08 | Pettis,Ryan | 5 | 1-1 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | |
| 24 | Zona,Matt | 18 | 1-4 | 0-3 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 24-61 | 5-18 | 10-14 | 8-19 | 27 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 63 |
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) | L73-72 (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 |  |
| 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) |