Led by a near triple-double from Jordan Goodwin, Saint Louis dominated La Salle from start to finish in a 78-57 Atlantic 10 Conference victory Tuesday night at Chaifetz Arena.
The Billikens improved to 11-3 overall and 4-2 in the A-10 with their fourth straight win. In each of those victories, SLU held its opponent to 60 or fewer points.
La Salle, which has lost three straight and five of its last six, slipped to 8-13, 5-9.
Goodwin scored 16 points and tied Joe Wiley for 13th place on Saint Louis’ career scoring list with 1,368 points. He matched his season high of 15 rebounds (five offensive) for his 11th double-double of the season and 34th of his career, and he dished out a season-high eight assists.
Javonte Perkins (8-of-10 shooting, including 3-of-4 from 3-point range) poured in 19 points, while Fred Thatch Jr. equaled his season high of 12 points.
The Bills shot 52.5 percent (31-of-59) from the field and turned 13 offensive rebounds into 22 second-chance points.
Jhamir Brickus and Jack Clark led La Salle with 22 and 13 points, respectively.
Saint Louis controlled the opening tip, scored on its first possession and never trailed. When Marten Linssen converted a three-point play with 12:04 remaining, the Billikens had their first double-digit lead, 17-6.
La Salle scored on its next possession, but Thatch Jr. responded with an offensive rebound and put-back to send the margin to double figures for good. SLU led by as many as 19 on three occasions in the first half before settling for a 39-23 cushion at intermission.
The Explorers made a small dent in the Billikens’ lead early in the second half and trailed 45-33 with 15:09 to play. But Perkins rattled off all 11 of his second-half points in a 16-4 flurry that gave SLU a commanding 61-37 advantage at the 9:21 mark.
The Billikens travel to Dayton Friday, Feb. 19, for a 6 p.m. (CT) tip-off. ESPN2 will carry the game.
