St. Louis-Saint Louis set two Chaifetz Arena records Saturday, shooting 61.4 percent from the field and 66.7 percent from 3-point range in a thrilling 87-81 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over Duquesne.
It was the fourth win in a row at Chaifetz Arena for the Billikens, who improve to 9-16 overall and 4-8 in the A-10. Duquesne falls to 9-16 overall, 2-10 in the A-10.
SLU was led in scoring by Mike Crawford’s 21 points. He was 8-of-12 from the field and hit all four of his 3-point attempts, including a trey with less than two minutes remaining that broke a 76-76 tie.
Davell Roby also was 4-of-4 from 3-point range and finished with a career-high 21 points (6-of-8 from the floor). Jalen Johnson scored 15 points, posted seven rebounds and blocked a career-high four shots. Aaron Hines registered 13 points, dished out five assists, and was 8-of-11 from the stripe.
The Billikens shot a sizzling 66.7 percent (12-of-18) in the second half to finish at 61.4 percent for the game. The last time Saint Louis shot better than 60 percent from the field was in 2011 against Oklahoma.
SLU knocked down 12 3-pointers, a season high. The Billikens were 9-of-11 from the arc in the first half and finished at 66.7 percent (12-of-18) for the game. Saint Louis last shot 60 percent or better from 3-point range back in 2009 at Fordham.
Saint Louis led by as much as 14 in the first half and took a six-point lead into halftime, the sixth straight game SLU has either led or been tied at halftime.
A pair of Hines free throws with 11 minutes remaining in the game gave SLU an 11-point lead at 67-56, but Duquesne would go on a 7-0 run to draw the game close.
With less than four minutes to go, Duquesne posted another 7-0 rally. Mike Lewis II, who led the Dukes with 24 points, capped the run with a game-tying 3-pointer at the 2:18 mark.
The Billikens responded with a big trey by Crawford with 1:59 left that gave SLU a lead it would not relinquish. Saint Louis would score the rest of its points from the free-throw line to seal the win.