Yuri Collins scored a game-high 18 points and added seven assists, but Atlantic 10 Conference preseason favorite St. Bonaventure walked away with a 68-61 victory over Saint Louis Friday night at Chaifetz Arena.
The Billikens, who entered the game with a six-game winning streak, slipped to 17-7 overall and 8-3 in league play. St. Bonaventure improved to 14-7, 6-4.
Collins scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half. Francis Okoro finished with 14 points, including 11 following intermission, while Marten Linssen tallied 10 points.
Fred Thatch Jr. and Jordan Nesbitt collected seven rebounds apiece to lead SLU to a 39-30 advantage on the glass.
Saint Louis trailed 34-30 at halftime and drew to within a point, 38-37, on an Okoro bucket with 16:10 left. But the Billikens managed only seven points over the next eight minutes and saw the Bonnies stretch the margin to nine, 53-44, at the 8:38 mark.
Trailing 61-52 with 2:12 remaining, SLU used a 9-3 run to make it a one-possession game. Collins tallied seven of the nine points, including a 3-pointer with 36 seconds to play that trimmed the St. Bonaventure lead to 64-61.
The visitors converted two free throws on their next possession, made a defensive stop, and secured the win with two more from the stripe with 16 seconds left.
The first half featured a big run by each team. A 16-4 surge, including five points each from Thatch and Terrence Hargrove Jr., turned a 10-9 St. Bonaventure edge into Saint Louis’ largest lead of the game, 25-14, with 10:17 to play. The Bonnies answered with a 16-0 outburst to take the lead for good.
The Billikens and Bonnies meet again Monday, Feb. 14, at St. Bonaventure. Tip time is 4 p.m. Central, and the game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
