St. Louis, Missouri: Billikens Beat Missouri 90-84 in First Meeting in 25 Years

Saint Louis beat Missouri 90-84 on Friday night, Nov. 6, at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, in the first game between the two programs in 25 years. The Billikens (2-0) opened an 11-point lead in the first five minutes and answered every Missouri run the rest of the night. Missouri (1-1) cut the margin to six points with about five and a half minutes left and to five points with 2:22 to go, but never got closer.

Three-point shooting decided the game. Saint Louis went 9 of 16 from long range in the first half and led 49-38 at the break, then finished 14 of 25 from deep for the night. All five Billikens starters scored in double figures. Quentin Jones scored 16 points and made four three-pointers, and one of his threes stopped Missouri's best second-half run, pushing the lead back to nine right after the Tigers had closed within six.

The Billikens shared the ball early and punished mistakes. Saint Louis recorded assists on 16 of its 19 first-half field goals, and turned seven Missouri giveaways in the first half into 12 points. The Tigers got back within range behind two players. Bryson Tiller scored a game-high 26 points, with nine rebounds, and went 5 of 7 from three-point range. Mark Mitchell added 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting, and Jamier Jones collected 13 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

Missouri's freshmen had a quiet night after a loud debut. Jason Crowe Jr. and Toni Bryant combined for nine points, after putting up 38 together in their first college game. Head coach Dennis Gates also remained without Tennessee transfer Jaylen Carey, who was suspended before the season for a violation of team rules, and backup center Luke Northweather did not dress for a second straight game.

Saint Louis played without its best-known player. Center Robbie Avila, last season's Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, was granted a preliminary injunction on Thursday, Nov. 5, that made him eligible for a fifth season, but the College Sports Commission denied the school's request for a 16th roster spot on Friday, and Avila did not play against Missouri. The Billikens, coached by Josh Schertz, still controlled the game from the opening minutes, a year after reaching the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

The meeting was the first between the schools since 2001, and the crowd at the neutral site leaned heavily toward Saint Louis. Missouri next plays SIUE on Monday night at Mizzou Arena in Columbia, with tipoff at 7 p.m. on SEC Network Plus. Saint Louis is 2-0 with the win.