Saint Louis outscored Massachusetts 8-0 over the last 2:32 of overtime and defeated the Minutemen 83-80 Sunday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena.
The Billikens improved to 12-3 overall and 1-1 in the Atlantic 10 Conference. UMass slipped to 6-8, 0-1. It was the 400th win of head coach Travis Ford’s career.
Hasahn French (19 points), Demarius Jacobs (18), Jordan Goodwin (16) and Javonte Perkins (11) scored in double figures for Saint Louis, and French grabbed 13 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season. French also matched his career high of five assists.
Perkins and Goodwin collected eight and seven rebounds, respectively. Goodwin added five assists and a game-high-tying four steals. Yuri Collins led all players with nine assists and tacked on three steals.
Massachusetts’ Tre Mitchell and Samba Diallo turned in game highs of 20 points and 14 rebounds, respectively. Sean East registered 18 points, five assists and four steals, Carl Pierre netted 16 points, and Diallo completed a double-double with 11 points. Mitchell gathered nine rebounds.
After regulation ended with the teams knotted at 73, UMass began the extra session with a 7-2 run for an 80-75 lead with 2:55 left.
But Jacobs’ second 3-pointer of the game from the left corner ignited SLU’s game-ending spurt. French tied it at 80 with a layup before giving the Billikens the lead for good on a free throw with 40 seconds left.
Following a UMass turnover, Jacobs sank two from the stripe for an 83-80 Saint Louis advantage with 22 ticks remaining. The Minutemen had two chances at a potential game-tying 3-pointer on their final possession, but neither found the mark.
Saint Louis led 34-33 at intermission following a first half that featured 12 lead changes and seven ties.
The Billikens stretched the margin to four, 39-35, early in the second half before a 16-4 UMass outburst put the Minutemen in front 51-43 at the 13:45 mark.
SLU answered with a 10-0 run, punctuated by consecutive three-point plays by Terrence Hargrove Jr. and Goodwin, to lead 53-51 with 12:40 left.
UMass pulled even on its next possession, but French scored eight points in a 12-3 flurry that gave the Billikens their largest lead, 65-56, with 7:32 to play.
The Minutemen responded with nine straight points to forge a 65-65 tie with 5:41 remaining. Saint Louis regained the lead and held a four-point edge on three occasions, but UMass recorded the last four points in regulation to force overtime.
Saint Louis hosts George Washington Wednesday, Jan. 8, at 7 p.m. The game will be televised by FOX Sports Midwest.
