| SLU
Billikens (3-1, 0-0) opened their last year at the Scottrade
Center (reported attendance, 8,134) with a 66-58 win over the
University of Detroit
Mercy Titans (1-1, 0-0). New coach Rick Majerus used a small
lineup to start the game and attempted to take control of the
game flow. The Billikens will have many challenges this year
without a seasoned big man on the inside. For the interim, there
is senior center Bryce Husak who was able to score 8 points in
the first half that enabled the Billikens to take a 24-21 halftime
lead. Balanced contributions from junior guards Tommie Liddell
(9 pts, 3 rebounds) and Kevin Lisch (12 pts, 6 rebounds) and
seniors Dwayne Polk (9 pts) and Luke Meyer (11 pts, 5 rebounds),
along with those from newcomers Paul Eckerle (5 pts) and Barry
Eberhardt (5 pts, 3 rebounds) resulted in a hard fought and less
than easy victory. The Billikens shot 56% from the field (33%
from 3-pt range) and 82% (23-28) from the charity line. The Titans
were led by sophomore guard Josh Samarco (16 pts), junior forward
Chris Hayes (14 pts, 4 rebounds), and senior guard Jon Goode
(10 pts, 5 rebounds). Detroit shot 43% from the field (32% from
3-pt range) and 63% (5-8) from the charity line. SLU had 30 rebounds
(7O, 23D), 12 assists, 1 steals, 2 blocked shots, and 15 turnovers
as compared with 21 rebounds (9O, 12D), 11 assists, 6 steals,
1 blocked shot, and 9 turnovers by Detroit. |
