The Saint Louis Billikens (19-15) saw their season come to an end Tuesday night, falling to Arkansas State (25-10) in a 103-78 defeat in the first round of the NIT.
Notable Perfomers
Izaiyah Nelson led the Red Wolves with 26 points and 10 rebounds, while Robbie Avila paced the Billikens with 22 points, eight rebounds, and a career-high-tying five 3-pointers.
Amari McCottry notched his first-career double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and two steals. Isaiah Swope added 16 points.
In his final game as a Billiken, Gibson Jimerson recorded just eight points on 2-of-11 shooting. He leaves SLU as the program’s all-time leading scorer with 2,428 points, along with 422 career 3-pointers and 166 games played.
Red Wolves Dominate from the Start
Arkansas State took the lead just 28 seconds into the game and never looked back. Nelson scored 12 of his 26 points in the first half, helping the Red Wolves take a 50-37 lead into the break.
The Red Wolves drained 10 of their 16 3-pointers in the first half and shot 54% from the floor overall. They led by as many as 30 points in the second half, maintaining full control throughout the game.
Arkansas State had five players reach double digit points.
Arkansas State covered the -5.5 spread while the total score went OVER the 154.5 line.
What’s Next
Saint Louis’ season concludes with a 19-15 record. Arkansas State advances to the second round of the NIT, where they will face the winner of Furman vs. North Texas.