St. Bonaventure fell to 14-2, 2-1.
Jimerson’s 9-of-15 shooting night included 6-of-11 from 3-point range. It was his seventh outing with 20 or more points this season. He was 4-of-4 from the foul line and added six rebounds.
Isaiah Swope tossed in 16 points and Robbie Avila netted 14 for the Billikens, whose 13 3-pointers (13-of-33, 39.4 percent) were their second most this season. SLU’s ratio of 3-pointers to total field goals (13 of 25, 52 percent) was its highest of the year.
Avila led the rebounding effort with nine, posted a game- and career-high three blocks, and tied Kobe Johnson (season high) for team-high honors with five assists. Kellen Thames collected five boards and seven points in just 14 minutes of action, while Dylan Warlick chipped in a career-high three assists.
The Bills shot 49 percent (25-of-51) from the field overall and 76.9 percent (10-of-13) from the foul line.
Jimerson scored seven points and Avila added five in a 17-7 spurt that gave Saint Louis its largest lead, 65-49, with 4:35 remaining. St. Bonaventure responded with a 13-1 run that trimmed the margin to four points, 66-62, at the 1:17 mark.
Avila’s three-point play pushed the lead to seven, but a St. Bonaventure 3-pointer with 11 seconds to play made it a one-possession game at 71-68. However, Jimerson calmly sank two free throws, and SLU forced a turnover to seal the victory.
An 8-0 run gave St. Bonaventure its largest advantage, 26-19, with 7:26 left in the first half. But SLU turned the tables down the stretch, with the trio of Swope (six points), Thames (five) and Avila (four) assembling a 15-2 flurry that resulted in a 34-28 lead at the break.
The Billikens are idle over the weekend ahead of a trip to Richmond, Va., to take on VCU Tuesday, Jan. 14. Tip time is 6 p.m. Central. The game will be carried by FanDuel Sports and ESPN+.
