The start of this game looked eerily similar to Friday night's tilt with Austin Peay. The Billikens started off slow. There was not much energy in Chaifetz Arena from the crowd, and SLU was not generating any on the court. The Billikens led by 5 several times in the first half, but could never pull away from Rockhurst, and led only 28-27 at halftime. Considering the Hawks play in Division II, the crowd began to get a little restless.
However, out of the halftime break, the Billikens opened with a 16-5 run, and never looked back. The defenseive intensity again was much higher in the second half, and that intensity, coupled with the size of the Billikens, wore down Rockhurst. SLU outscored the Hawks 44-18 in the second half and coasted to a 72-45 victory.
The win evens the Billikens record at 1-1. They look for their first win against a Division I opponent this weekend. They cannot afford to have a slow start in their next contest. The Georgia Bulldogs visit Chaifetz on Saturday at 7:00 PM. Georgia was picked by many to win the SEC East, and have a legitimate lottery pick in Trey Tompkins. The Bulldogs are 1-0, escaping with a narrow win in their opener against Mississippi Valley State, 72-70. They play Colorado tonight, before heading to St. Louis to face the Billikens.
Billikens Player of the Game
Against Rockhurst, Billiken fans got a glimpse of what Rob Loe could be. He shot well from the outside, and showed better effort inside. He finished with 16 points and was 2 of 3 from three point range. He also pulled down nine rebounds.
Hawks Player of the Game
Hard to find a Player of the Game for a team that lost by 27, but here it goes. Aaron Morrisey led the Hawks in scoring with 14 in 29 minutes of action.
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