Massachusetts and Saint Louis each shot better than 50 percent from the field on Thursday night, but it was the Minutemen who came away with the 91-85 victory in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball action at the Mullins Center.
SLU slips to 11-6 overall and 3-2 with the loss. UMass, one of the top 3-point shooting teams in the country, won its first conference game of the year and moves to 8-9 overall and 1-4 in the league.
Gibson Jimerson led the Billikens in scoring with 23 points, connecting on 7-of-16 from the field, 2-of-5 from the arc and 7-of-8 from the line.
Fred Thatch Jr. chipped in 20 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of steals. Francis Okoro had 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Yuri Collins dished out nine assists and grabbed six rebounds for Saint Louis.
The Billikens held UMass in check from the arc, as the Minutemen connected on just 7-of-20 from 3-point range, well below their averages. But UMass ended up hitting 66.7 percent from the field in the second half alone to top the Bills. UMass’ 91 points were the most scored by a Billiken opponent this season.
There were 26 lead changes and 15 ties throughout the game, and neither team was able to put together substantial runs for a double-digit lead either way.
The Billikens took a one-point lead into halftime, 38-37. SLU went up by five on several occasions in the second half, only to see UMass chip away at its deficit and crawl back.
UMass went up by six with four minutes left before the Billikens went to work to get back into it. Rashad Williams and Terrence Hargrove Jr. both had big 3-pointers to keep the game close.
Okoro’s bucket inside put the Billikens on top 83-81 with one minute left, but UMass answered on the other end and the Billikens didn’t score again until the final buzzer.
The Billikens and Minutemen play again on Sunday at Chaifetz Arena. Game time on USA Network is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.
