Saint Louis guard Gibson Jimerson continued his hot stretch with a game-high 21 points as the Billikens rolled to an 81-62 win over Loyola Chicago Saturday in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball action at Chaifetz Arena.
With the win, the Billikens (19-10, 11-5 A-10) keep pace in the A-10 for a chance at a top-four seed at the A-10 Championship, which would result in a double-bye. The Billikens are now in a three-way tie for second place in the league standings with two games to go. Loyola Chicago falls to 9-19 and 3-13 in the league.
Jimerson has been on a tear as of late, scoring 20+ points in five of the Billikens’ last seven games. He was 7-of-16 from the field tonight, 3-of-7 from 3-point range and a perfect 4-of-4 from the stripe. Jimerson also collected six rebounds and dished out four assists.
Jake Forrester chipped in 12 points, including his first-career 3-pointer on his first-ever attempt. He finished 5-of-6 from the field.
Yuri Collins, the NCAA assist leader, distributed 11 assists despite playing just seven minutes in the first half due to foul trouble.
Terrence Hargrove Jr. drained a trey to open the game as part of his nine-point scoring effort. Loyola Chicago led by four at one point early in the half, but Forrester’s 3-point play at 12:40 gave SLU a lead it would not relinquish.
Larry Hughes Jr.’s 3-pointer with two minutes to go forced a Loyola Chicago timeout. Jimerson nailed a contested trey in the final seconds of the first half to send the Billikens into the locker room with a 16-point lead at the break, 42-36.
The Billikens kept their lead at double digits throughout the entire second half and coasted to the 19-point win, their largest margin of victory since a 23-point win against St. Bonaventure the third game of the conference season.
SLU heads to Richmond, Virginia, on Tuesday night to take on first-place VCU at the Siegel Center. Game time on CBS Sports Network is set for 6 p.m. (CT).
