(Courtesy Saint Louis Athletics)
Texas A&M-Corpus Christi finished with a flurry to hand Saint Louis its first loss of the season Sunday afternoon at Chaifetz Arena. The Islanders went on a 13-4 run during the game’s final 3:18 to turn a 52-49 deficit into a 62-56 victory.
Ash Yacoubou, who led SLU with 13 points, hit a layup to give the Billikens a 52-49 lead with 4:39 remaining. But the Islanders promptly scored 10 unanswered points to grab the contest by the throat. Saint Louis crawled to within five points twice in the final minute, but AMCC held on for the win in the two programs’ first-ever meeting.
The Billikens fell to 2-1 with the loss, while the Islanders improved to 2-1. AMCC, which competes in the Southland Conference, has an experienced squad with two seniors and seven juniors on its roster.
Austin McBroom notched eight points and Milik Yarbrough added seven, as 11 Bills got on the scoresheet. Davell Roby recorded a game-high four assists. Saint Louis had more assists (16) than turnovers (13) for the first time this season.
John Jordan led AMCC with 13 points. Bryce Douvier, Brandon Pye and Rashawn Thomas each scored 10 points. Douvier narrowly missed out on a double-double with 9 rebounds.
The Islanders made half of their 48 field-goal attempts and shot 38.5 percent from 3-point range (5 of 13). SLU shot 41.2 percent from the field (21 of 51).
AMCC jumped out to a 14-5 advantage before the Billikens began chipping away. A Brett Jolly basket with 2:14 left in the first half gave Saint Louis its first lead, 23-22. SLU took a 27-24 edge into the locker room.
The Bills extended their lead to 35-26 and were in front 46-39 with 9:02 to play. But AMCC scored seven consecutive points to knot the contest at 46. Saint Louis held the lead twice more before the Islanders went on their game-deciding 13-4 spurt to close out the win.
Next up, Saint Louis plays North Carolina A&T Tuesday at Chaifetz Arena. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will be televised on FOX Sports Midwest Plus.
