Saint Louis (15-12) snapped a three-game losing streak via an 81-66 win over Rhode Island (17-9), where the Billikens dominated in nearly every margin.
Rhode Island not only failed to lead at any point against Saint Louis but also failed to come down with a single offensive rebound. It was just the second time this season that any team failed to secure an offensive rebound during a 40-minute game. The Billikens took advantage with 11 offensive rebounds, leading to 12 second-chance points. Overall, Saint Louis had 42 rebounds to Rhode Island’s 29. It’s the most rebounds the Rams have allowed this season and, in turn, the worst margin at minus-13.
The Billiken put on a clinic on the glass and from deep. Despite inefficient shooting from its stars, Saint Louis shot 39.5% from 3 as a team. Sixth-year Gibson Jimmerson, the all-time leader in 3s made in Atlantic 10 history, knocked down five 3s for 21 points. Jimmerson also had 11 rebounds, marking his first career double-double. The other superstar was third-year Robie Avila. Despite going 3 of 12 from deep, the nation’s best playmaking centers had 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. This offensive firepower helped the Billikens lead for a total of 39:29 minutes, never once trailing the Rams.
This isn’t to say Rhode Island never made it competitive. After trailing by 15 points, the Rams cut it down to one point before three straight Billiken buckets left the Rams in the dust.
It didn’t stop at 3-point shooting or rebounding for Saint Louis. The Billikens dominated in every margin, including an unexpected one for the Saint Louis faithful. Entering the game, the Billikens bench unit was the last in Division I in terms of points per game with just 8.4. Led by first-year Amari McCottry, the Billikens shot past their season average and had 21 bench points, with the Milwaukee native having 13 points and eight rebounds. Keeping up with the trends, the Rams had just 10 points from their bench unit.
Third-year Jamarques Lawrence and fourth-year David Green combined for 35 of Rhode Island’s 66 points. Lawrence continued to stay hot from deep, hitting 5 of 6 attempts, and Green was also hyper-efficient going 4 of 6. Lawrence has shot 57.9% from 3 on 3.8 attempts per game in his last five. Outside of the Rams sharpshooters, the rest of the team looked sloppy, shooting 33.3% from the field and an even worse one of 10 from deep. It was an especially difficult day for fourth-year Sebastian Thomas, who finished with a season-low eight points on 14 shots.
Offensive struggles on the road have been a theme of Rhode Island’s season. The Rams average 69.4 points per game inside their opponent’s home venue. That number ranks near the bottom in the A-10 and is a part of why Rhode Island is 1-7 in road games this season. It’s the opposite at home, where Rhode Island averages 81.3 points per game and is 13-2.
With the A-10 Tournament rapidly approaching, these games typically have a massive impact on the tournament seeding. When the game tipped off, Rhode Island was two games back of a top-four seed with five games left. Following their loss, the Rams are still two games back but have fewer opportunities to make up ground. As for the Billikens, they now have the record needed for the double-bye. However, due to tie-breakers, they’re still on the outside.
Saint Louis has four games remaining and will get two shots at teams ahead of them in the standings. Following their game against Davidson (16-11), the Billikens will return home for a pivotal game against Loyola Chicago (18-9) and then hit the road one last time for an even more important game against Dayton (18-9).
As for Rhode Island, they also have four games left and kick it off within the comfort of its own home as Dayton marches into the Ryan Center on Wednesday. The Rams dominate at home, only losing two games in the Ryan Center all season. Following their clash with the Flyers, the Rams will travel to Amherst for a date with UMass (11-17), followed by the Rams’ last road game of the season against St. Joseph’s (17-10) before ending the regular season with a home game against Fordham (11-16). If Rhode Island can’t win their second road game of the season, they’ll likely miss out on a bye for the fourth straight season.
