SLU big man Robbie Avila looks for someone to pass to during Monday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against Jackson State at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Men’s Basketball | 1 | 2 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson State (0-8) | 35 | 31 | 66 |
| SLU (5-2) | 30 | 44 | 74 |
Cedric Williams
Senior Editor
ST. LOUIS, MO — In a back and forth contest that featured six ties and 13 lead changes, the Saint Louis University men’s basketball team outscored visiting Jackson State 11-2 over the final 4:38 to come away with a 74-66 win, Monday night at Chaifetz Arena.
Gibson Jimerson poured in 21 points, including 19 in the second half, to lead all scorers. Isaiah Swope tallied 18 points, tied for game-high honors with a season-high seven assists and matched his season best of five rebounds.
Robbie Avila flirted with a triple-double before settling for 15 points, eight rebounds and a game-high-tying seven assists. Avila’s rebounding and assists totals were season highs, as were his game-high four 3-pointers (4-of-8).
Kalu Anya collected a game-high 11 rebounds, including four offensive boards. Anya has rebounded in double figures in three straight and five of seven games. Amari McCottry grabbed six caroms as Saint Louis out-rebounded Jackson State 43-30.
SLU’s Kellen Thames makes a pass during Monday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against Jackson State at Chaifetz Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
SLU was 28-of-53 (52.8 percent) from the floor, topping the 50-percent mark for a second straight game. The Billikens connected on 10-of-25 from 3-point range, reaching 40 percent for a second consecutive outing.
The visiting Tigers of the Southwestern Athletic Conference led 64-63 after Jayme Mitchell Jr. canned a 3-pointer at the 4:55 mark. Jimerson answered with a layup just 17 seconds later for the game’s 13th lead change, putting SLU on top for good.
Avila buried a triple for a 68-64 advantage, and Swope turned an Anya offensive rebound into a bucket to make it 70-64. Baskets by Avila and Swope upped the lead to 74-66 with 1:33 remaining, and the Billiken defense did the rest.
SLU’s Isaiah Swope makes a break for the basket during Monday’s NCAA men’s basketball game against Jackson State at Chaifetz Arena. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
The teams swapped the lead six times in the first 7:18 of the game before Jackson State claimed the first-half lead for good, 13-12, on a jumper by Dorian McMillian, part of a 13-0 run that gave the Tigers a 22-12 cushion.
Saint Louis responded with a 7-0 spurt to narrow the margin to three, only to see Jackson State answer with an 8-0 flurry to go in front 30-19.
The Tigers still had an 11-point advantage, 33-22, with 2:33 left. Kellen Thames sparked an 8-2 run with a dunk and a steal followed by a layup, and the Billikens trailed 35-30 at the break.
Saint Louis chipped away and went on top 46-45 at the 12:31 mark of the second half. Neither team led by more than three points until two Jimerson free throws made it 63-58 Billikens with 6:59 to play. Mitchell put the Tigers back on top with a pair of treys, setting the stage for SLU’s game-ending run.
SLU is now 5-2 on the season with three straight wins. Jackson State remained winless and is now 0-8 on the year.
The Billikens will be on the road for their next contest, which comes on Thursday, December 5, when the club will travel to the West Coast to take on the University of San Francisco. Tip off for that contest is scheduled for 9 p.m., and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Jackson State 66
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 07 | Grant,Shannon | * | 30 | 5-7 | 0-0 | 2-2 | 4-3 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 12 |
| 24 | Ruffin,Daeshun | * | 27 | 4-19 | 2-7 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 10 |
| 13 | Mansel,Romelle | * | 31 | 4-11 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0-5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 |
| 01 | McMillian,Dorian | * | 30 | 3-9 | 1-4 | 1-2 | 0-2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 8 |
| 05 | Hunt,Keiveon | * | 14 | 2-3 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 0-2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 6 |
| 03 | Mitchell Jr.,Jayme | 26 | 5-7 | 3-5 | 1-1 | 1-2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 14 | |
| 20 | Reyna III,Juan | 18 | 2-7 | 2-5 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 21 | Watson Jr.,Marcus | 16 | 1-4 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| 00 | Hoover,Tamarion | 8 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 26-67 | 10-24 | 4-5 | 11-19 | 30 | 17 | 11 | 9 | 5 | 10 | 66 |
SLU 74
| ## | Player | GS | MIN | FG | 3PT | FT | ORB-DRB | REB | PF | A | TO | BLK | STL | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Jimerson, Gibson | * | 38 | 8-16 | 3-8 | 2-2 | 2-1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 21 |
| 01 | Swope, Isaiah | * | 36 | 6-12 | 3-8 | 3-6 | 1-4 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 18 |
| 21 | Avila, Robbie | * | 38 | 5-11 | 4-8 | 1-4 | 1-7 | 8 | 2 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 15 |
| 06 | Anya, Kalu | * | 32 | 3-5 | 0-0 | 1-4 | 4-7 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
| 04 | McCottry, Amari | * | 18 | 2-2 | 0-0 | 1-5 | 1-5 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
| 00 | Thames, Kellen | 15 | 2-5 | 0-1 | 0-1 | 1-2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | |
| 02 | Hughes II, Larry | 12 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |
| 08 | Johnson, Kobe | 11 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1-1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | |
| TM | TEAM | 0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 3-1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Totals | – | 200 | 28-53 | 10-25 | 8-22 | 14-29 | 43 | 6 | 19 | 15 | 3 | 6 | 74 |
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) |  |
| December 8, 2024 (Sunday) | 2 pm | Home | Chicago State | Chaifetz Arena | |
| December 15, 2024 (Sunday) | 4 pm | Away | Illinois State | Normal, Ill. (CEFCU Arena) | |
| 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) |