Terrence Hargrove Jr. led five Saint Louis players in double figures with 17 points and Yuri Collins flirted with a triple-double in the Billikens’ 74-70 loss to No. 13 Auburn Saturday night at Chaifetz Arena.
Hargrove Jr. was joined in double digits by Collins (13), Francis Okoro (12), Gibson Jimerson (11) and Jordan Nesbitt (11).
Collins grabbed a game- and career-high 12 rebounds and added eight assists and three steals. Okoro, Hargrove Jr. and Nesbitt collected eight, seven and six rebounds, respectively to lead SLU to a 46-27 advantage on the glass.
It was Auburn’s largest rebounding deficit of the season, and the Tigers (10-1) allowed a season-high 19 offensive boards to the Billikens, including Okoro’s game-high six.
Saint Louis (8-4) trailed 35-27 at intermission after Auburn closed the first half on a 7-0 run, but the Billikens began the second half with a 9-0 spurt of their own to nudge their way in front, 36-35.
Auburn responded with a 7-1 run for a 42-37 lead, only to see SLU rattle off 23 of the next 28 points to establish its largest advantage, 60-47, with 9:13 to play. Hargrove Jr. and Jimerson tallied seven points apiece to lead the outburst.
The Billikens held the Tigers without a field goal for another 2:22, but Jabari Smith’s 3-pointer cut Auburn’s deficit to single digits, 60-52, and was a key part of a 20-6 surge that gave the visitors a 67-66 edge at the 2:14 mark.
SLU pulled even on an Okoro free throw, and the Bills knotted the score again at 70 with 37 seconds left when Nesbitt turned a Collins steal into a 3-pointer from the corner.
However, K.D. Johnson’s bucket with nine ticks remaining put Auburn back on top for good, and two free throws accounted for the final score.
The Billikens play their final non-conference game of the season Wednesday, Dec. 22, vs. Drake in Las Vegas. Tip time is 2 p.m. Central.
