Bench Play Key As Saint Louis Billikens Holds Off Duquense Dukes

The Saint Louis Billikens beat an upset minded Duquense Dukes team 76-72 behind the efforts of a pair of players off the bench.

Forward Grandy Glaze was the man of the first half, as he scored all 12 of his points and grabbed six of his eight rebounds before halftime. His contributions helped keep the Billikens close, as they were only down two at the half.

In the second half, Austin McBroom stepped up and scored all 11 of his points, including a big three with less than a minute to play. Down two with 50 seconds left, McBroom hit a three that gave the Billikens the lead for good.

Glaze was especially helpful to the Billikens, because Saint Louis’s starting forwards struggled with foul trouble. Leading scorer Dwayne Evans fouled out and Jake Barnett picked up four fouls.

Duquense was led by the frontcourt duo of Ovie Soko and Dominique McKoy, who finished with 18 and 15 points, respectively. McKoy had a chance to put the Dukes up after McBroom’s three pointer, but he missed a shot and Saint Louis closed the game out by hitting free throws.

Mike McCall Jr. led Saint Louis with 13 points and Jordair Jett had a double-double with 10 points and 11 assists.

The win puts Saint Louis at 18-2 on the season and a perfect 5-0 in conference play. With the two lone losses on the season being to the Wisconsin Badgers and the Wichita State Shockers, who are currently both in the top 10, Saint Louis is putting together an impressive resume. The Billikens should be a team to be reckoned with come tournament time.