Saint Louis vs. Missouri-St. Louis (Exhibition Game)
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018 | 7 p.m. | St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
Coverage: Live Stats | Twitter @SaintLouisMBB
SETTING THE SCENE
— Saint Louis concludes its exhibition season on Thursday night when it hosts Missouri-St. Louis at Chaifetz Arena. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m.
— This is the second exhibition game for the Billikens. Last Saturday, SLU defeated Quincy 85-42.
— The Billikens’ season opener is set for Tuesday, Nov. 6, against Southeast Missouri State at Chaifetz Arena. Game time is 7 p.m.
ABOUT THE BILLIKENS
— Saint Louis was picked to win the Atlantic 10 Conference in the league’s annual preseason coaches and media poll. The Billikens claimed 15 of the 26 first-place votes to finish ahead of Saint Joseph’s (second) and Davidson (third).
— The top billing in the A-10 preseason poll comes after the Billikens registered a 17-16 overall record and a 9-9 mark in A-10 play (tied for fifth) last season. However, an influx of new talent along with a solid corps of experienced returnees have led to the high expectations for Billikens Basketball.
— Senior guard Javon Bess is a preseason second-team All-Conference and All-Defensive team pick. Last season, he led the Billikens in scoring (13.3 ppg) and minutes played (36.2 mpg), and was the team’s top defender. Another senior, forward D.J. Foreman, averaged 9.4 ppg in A-10 play and posted a .626 (87-of-139) field-goal percentage, which was third in a single season in school history.
— Sophomore forward Hasahn French and sophomore guard Jordan Goodwin were both named to the preseason All-Conference team, as Goodwin was voted to the second team and French to the third team. French, an A-10 All-Rookie team selection last year, set a SLU freshman record with 59 blocked shots. He also collected 228 total rebounds, tied for second by a freshman in SLU history. Goodwin scored 11.5 ppg and led the Billikens in rebounding (7.5 rpg), assists (3.9 apg) and steals (2.0 spg). He also registered the program’s first-ever triple-double.
— The Billikens feature a pair of graduate transfers in guards Tramaine Isabell Jr.(Drexel) and Dion Wiley (Maryland). Isabell scored 21 ppg at Drexel last year and tested the NBA Draft waters. Wiley played in 83 games at Maryland. Forward Elliott Welmer will not be available for Thursday’s game against UMSL after suffering an injury in practice last week.
— The Billikens feature five scholarship freshmen, led by ESPN top 100 recruit, forward Carte’Are Gordon from St. Louis. Gordon helped Webster Groves to two state titles and played for the United States’ U17 championship team. Guard Fred Thatch Jr., from nearby Sikeston, Missouri, is another local product who set virtually every career statistical record at Sikeston High School. Guard Ingvi Gudmundsson represented Iceland at the 2018 FIBA U20 European Championship in Germany in July. Forward KC Hankton (Charlotte, N.C.) played for Team United on the AAU circuit. Guard Demarius Jacobs (Chicago, Ill.) averaged nearly 20 ppg as a senior at Uplift High School and helped the team win a state championship in 2015.
— Two walk-ons round out the roster. Junior Jack Raboin played two years at Lake Land College in Mattoon, Illinois. Freshman Brandon Courtney was an All-Conference performer at Wesclin High School in Trenton, Illinois.
ABOUT THE TRITONS
— UMSL is coming off a 14-13 record in 2017-18, including a 9-9 mark in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
— The Tritons were picked 10th in the GLVC Preseason Poll.
— UMSL will have five players on the court this season who saw playing time a year ago, including its two lone seniors in forward Eric Dust and guard Johnathan Matthews. Dust started 14 of 27 games and averaged 6.9 points to go with a team-best 4.8 rebounds per game, while Matthews played in all 27 games, making four starts, and was one of three players to average double figures with 10.5 points per game.
— The roster also features two redshirt freshmen, five junior college transfers and two true freshmen.
— The Tritons are coached by Bob Sundvold, who is entering his sixth season at UMSL.
