Buffalo, N.Y. – The Saint Louis University Billikens picked the perfect time to play one of their best games of the college basketball season.
The Billikens throttled Georgia 102-77 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at the Key Bank Arena in Buffalo on Thursday night. The game was part of the Midwest regional tournament.
Entering the tournament as a No. 9 seed, the Billikens dominated the No. 8 seed Bulldogs from the Southeastern Conference from the opening tip-off. They built a 49-32 lead at halftime, then broke the game wide open with an 18-0 run to start the second half. SLU led by as many as 40 points in the second half when the lead grew to 97-57. They shot 58 percent from the field for the game.
The Billikens had seven players score in double figures, led by senior Dion Brown’s 18 points on nine of 10 shooting from the field. Sophomore guard Amari McCottry had 13 points and nine rebounds, senior Robbie Avila and sophomore Ishan Sharma each had 12 points, while juniors Brady Dunlap and Kellen Thames scored 11 points apiece.
It was a record-setting night for the Billikens, which included their 29th victory of the season. SLU also set multiple records for an NCAA Tournament game, including 102 points, 42 field goals, 27 assists and a margin of victory over 25 points.
The Billikens advance to Saturday’s second round game to face No. 1 seed Michigan, the regular season champions of the Big Ten Conference. Tip off is scheduled for 11:10 a.m. (CT). The game will be televised on KMOV-TV and broadcast of KMOX-AM 1120.