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NORMAL, Ill. – Saint Louis stormed back from a 22-point first-half deficit and had it to within a possession late in the game before falling 81-77 to Illinois State Sunday at CEFCU Arena in Normal, Illinois.
The Billikens dipped to 6-4 with the loss, while Illinois State improved its record to 6-4.
Robbie Avila led all scorers with a season-high 28 points and was a big part of SLU’s second-half rally, scoring 21 of his points after intermission.
Isaiah Swope finished with 22 points thanks in part to 6-of-10 shooting from 3-point range. Gibson Jimerson chipped in with 15 points, and in the process became the ninth active NCAA Division I player to reach 2,000 or more career points.
The Billikens shot a sizzling 59.3 percent in the second half to finish at 48.1 percent for the game. They hit 12 treys and shot 92.9 percent (12-13) from the foul line as well. Indiana State finished with a 52.7 percent shooting mark from the field.
The Redbirds came out hot, hitting 10 of their first 12 shots from the field. Illinois State went on an early 11-0 run and built a lead as large as 22 in the opening half before the Bills started to chip away.
Swope had three 3-pointers as part of a 15-3 spurt as SLU closed it to 43-31 at halftime. The Billiken defense did not allow an ISU field goal over the final 5:53 of the opening period.
The second half saw SLU hang around, but it wasn’t able to break through until the very end. SLU was down by seven with 2:16 left before Swope nailed a trey and Jimerson scored a basket to pull SLU within two of the lead.
A pair of Jimerson free throws with 12 seconds left made it a 79-77 game, but Illinois State hit two free throws down the stretch for the four-point cushion.
Saint Louis returns to action on Wednesday night when it hosts Wofford at Chaifetz Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.
