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Saint Louis sophomore forward Hasahn French and sophomore guard Jordan Goodwin scored 12 points apiece to lead the Billikens to a 71-64 win at La Salle on Saturday night at Gola Arena.
With the win, SLU improves to 12-4 overall and 3-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference action. La Salle dips to 3-12 and 1-2 in the league.
French completed the double-double by adding a team-high 10 rebounds. It was his third double-double in the last four games, and the performance comes on the heels of a career-high 25 points in the Billikens’ previous game against UMass. French also registered four assists, two blocks and two steals for the Billikens.
Goodwin finished a rebound shy of a double-double after pulling down nine boards. He dished out a team-high six assists.
Senior guard Javon Bess added 11 points for the Billikens, while senior forward D.J. Foreman tossed in nine points and grabbed six rebounds. Freshman forward KC Hankton buried a pair of first-half treys and finished with a career-high six points.
The Billikens shot 46.6 percent from the field and out-rebounded La Salle 37-31.
SLU utilized a 13-0 run in the first half to grow a double-digit lead. Both of Hankton’s 3-pointers came during the spurt, which helped the Bills take a 37-27 lead into halftime.
La Salle chipped away at the deficit and pulled to within one of the lead several times midway through the second half. A La Salle 3-pointer with five minutes left briefly tied the score, but Goodwin responded moments later with a drive and a dunk to put the Bills back on top.
The Explorers were within one of the lead again with less than three minutes left, but SLU ended the game on a 7-1 rally to post the win. An NBA range 3-pointer by Bess from the top of the key put SLU up by five with a minute to go. SLU forced two turnovers on the ensuing possessions and La Salle was unable to score again.
Saint Louis returns to action on Tuesday night when it faces Fordham in the Bronx, New York. Tip time is 6 p.m. (CT), and the game can be viewed on ESPN+.
