BRONX, New York – Saint Louis sophomore guard Jordan Goodwin scored 20 points and senior guard Javon Bess chipped in 17 points and 10 rebounds as SLU rallied for a 63-60 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over Fordham Tuesday night at Rose Hill Gym.
The Billikens improve to 13-4 overall and 4-0 in league play. Fordham dips to 9-8 and 0-4 in the league.
Goodwin’s 20 points were a season high. He also finished with nine rebounds and six assists.
Bess recorded his second double-double of the season.
Sophomore forward Hasahn French was close to another double-double, finishing with nine points and eight boards.
The Billikens closed the game on an 11-3 run to pick up the victory. A Goodwin three-point play gave the Billikens a 52-47 lead with 6:14 to play, but Fordham went on a 10-0 run and snagged a 57-52 lead with 4:19 to go.
Bess snapped the Fordham rally with a three-ball from the left corner to pull Saint Louis to within two of the lead.
Later, two Goodwin free throws pulled the Billikens to within one, then Tramaine Isabell Jr. knocked down a big-time 3-pointer with a little more than two minutes left to give SLU the lead for good.
Freshman guard Fred Thatch Jr. was fouled and went to the line with SLU ahead by one with 22 seconds left. He knocked them both down to put SLU up by three, and the Billikens escaped when two Fordham 3-pointers were off the mark on the ensuing possession.
Goodwin started the game making his first four shots from beyond the arc. SLU led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but Fordham finished with a 7-0 run and hit a 3-pointer at the first-half buzzer as SLU led 34-32 at halftime.
The Billikens return to Chaifetz Arena on Friday night for the Blue Out against Saint Joseph’s. Tip time is 6 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
