Javonte Perkins scored a game-high 17 points on Senior Night, including the game-clinching free throws in the final minute, as Saint Louis posted a thrilling 65-61 victory over Dayton Friday night in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball action at Chaifetz Arena.
Saint Louis finishes the season tied for second in the league with a 20-11 overall record and a 12-6 mark in the A-10. Dayton is also 20-11 overall and 12-6 in the league.
Next up for both teams is the Atlantic 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. The Billikens will either be the No. 3 or No. 4 seed and will open play in the tourney on Thursday, March 9. Dayton is locked in as the No. 2 seed.
Four seniors scored in double figures for Saint Louis, led by Perkins’ 17 points. Yuri Collins chipped in with a 12-point, 10-assist double-double, while Francis Okoro and Gibson Jimerson scored 10 points apiece. Okoro led the Bills with nine rebounds.
SLU was a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe and earned a 41-37 edge on the glass. The Billikens had 20 second-chance points compared to eight for Dayton.
The Billikens held a 10-point lead with 12:14 remaining in the game before Dayton mounted a comeback. The Flyers cut it to two points with less than a minute left. A pair of SLU turnovers gave Dayton the chance to either tie or take the lead on two possession with under a minute left but the Flyers were unable to capitalize.
Perkins put the game out of reach when he buried two free throws with 16 seconds left to deliver the four point-win for SLU.
In the first half, the lead changed hands several times early on before a 7-0 run gave SLU a six-point lead with seven minutes left in the half. Sincere Parker connected on a jump and a 3-pointer to punctuate the rally.
Later in the half, Terrence Hargrove Jr. scored consecutive baskets, and Okoro notched a layin in the final seconds to send the Billikens to the locker room with a nine-point lead at the break, 41-32.
The bracket for the 2023 A-10 Men’s Basketball Championship will be released Saturday night.
