Gibson Jimerson scored 28 points, Francis Okoro and Yuri Collins posted double-doubles, and Saint Louis never trailed in an 80-67 Atlantic 10 Conference victory over George Washington Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena.
In addition to his 11-point (5-of-5 FG), 12-assist double-double, Collins became SLU’s all-time assists leader, surpassing Josh Fisher’s mark of 436 career helpers. Collins now has 444 assists in a Billiken uniform.
Jimerson’s 11-of-20 shooting effort included 6-of-11 from beyond the arc. He is 13-of-21 from distance over the last two games.
Okoro tallied a career-high 22 points on 9-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-4 from the stripe. His game-high 11 rebounds led the Bills to a 39-30 advantage on the glass.
Jordan Nesbitt collected a career- and game-high three steals, and Fred Thatch Jr. recorded a career- and game-high three blocks.
For a second consecutive game, Saint Louis (13-6, 4-2 A-10) committed only eight turnovers. The Billikens earned a 50-26 advantage in points in the paint.
Jimerson scored five points in a 9-0 run that gave SLU its first double-digit lead, 14-4, with 14:48 left in the first half.
A 10-4 spurt allowed George Washington (6-12, 2-4) to make it a four-point game, 18-14, with 10:09 left, but that was as close as the Colonials would get. Jimerson buried a 3-pointer and Okoro scored the next four points to push the margin back into double figures, 25-14, and the Billikens went on to build a 38-25 cushion at intermission.
Okoro netted SLU’s first eight points of the second half as the lead grew to 18. Saint Louis led by as many as 21 points twice before settling for the 13-point win.
The Billikens take on Duquesne Saturday, Jan. 29, in Pittsburgh. Tip time is 1 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
