All five Saint Louis starters scored in double figures as the Billikens rallied from nine points down in the second half to register an 83-75 win over Drake Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena.
The Billikens snapped a two-game skid and moved to 8-4 overall on the season. Drake, the Missouri Valley Conference favorite, dipped to 8-3.
Yuri Collins and Gibson Jimerson led the way with 17 points apiece. Javon Pickett scored 15 points, all in the second half. Javonte Perkins had 13, while Francis Okoro posted a double-double of 10 points and 15 rebounds.
Jimerson, who graduated Saturday morning at Chaifetz Arena during SLU’s Midyear Commencement, had his 1,000th point as a Billiken as part of his 17 points.
Collins added nine assists to his NCAA-leading assist total. Okoro, who leads the A-10 in rebounding, led the team on the boards for the third straight game.
The Billikens shot 42.9 percent from the field and committed just seven turnovers. They owned a 43-30 rebounding advantage. SLU was also efficient from the foul line, connecting on 21-of-23 from the stripe.
The Bills had a 10-point lead late in the first half before Drake went on an 8-0 run to pull ahead at halftime, 41-40.
The second half saw Drake grow its lead to nine at 66-57 with 9:12 remaining, but SLU would rally back thanks in part to a late 12-0 run to post the victory.
Pickett scored five straight points to give SLU a lead it would not relinquish with two minutes to go.
The Billikens close out the nonconference portion of their schedule Wednesday night at 7 p.m. against SIUE. The game will be televised on Bally Sports Midwest.
