Saint Louis recap
The Maryville men's basketball team challenged Saint Louis to the final buzzer as the Billikens held off the Saints 82-69 Tuesday night at Chaifetz Arena. Parker Long paced the Saints with 18 points as Maryville shot 51.7 percent from the field, the highest by a SLU opponent this season.
 
What Happened
Dezmond McDaniel scored on a driving layup to give the Saints a quick 2-0 lead. Later, Jalen Gant scored inside, and McDaniel added another bucket for a 6-3 Maryville lead. Zach Colletta drained a 3-pointer for a one-point lead. The Billikens were up 10-9 before Parker Long sank a jumper for an 11-10 edge at the 13:41 mark. SLU edged ahead but the Saints battled back and tied the game four more times.
 
The Billikens held a narrow 23-22 lead but McDaniel splashed in another triple to push the Saints back up 25-23 with 7:26 left before halftime. Antoine Pittman sank two free throws as the Saints took another lead at 27-26 with just over six minutes to play. The Billikens made a late push and a 3-pointer at the buzzer gave SLU a 41-34 lead at the break. Maryville shot 54.2 percent in the first half on 13-of-24 marksmanship.
 
The Saints jumped on the Billikens to start the second half with a 7-0 run. Gant and Long sank back-to-back jumpers. Chris White had a three-point play as Maryville forged a 41-41 tie and forced a SLU timeout. The Billikens tried to pull away and were up 64-54 but the Saints responded with another rally. Ross Ryan scored inside, McDaniel knocked down a jumper, and a Gant driving layup pulled Maryville to 64-60 at the 8:52 mark. The deficit still stood at four on a Gant hook shot in the lane at 68-64 with 5:39 to play. The Saints stayed close after two Gant free throws to get to within 72-67 at the 2:37 mark before the Billikens pulled away late.
 
Gant finished with 12 points, while McDaniel added 11 points. Ryan snared 10 rebounds to lead the efforts on the glass. Terrance Hargrove Jr., paced the Billikens with 27 points, while Javonte Perkins had 22 points. Jordan Goodwin recorded a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. The game featured 15 lead changes and 11 ties. The Saints did not trail by more than 10 points until the final minute of play.
 
Statistical Leaders
Points: Parker Long – 18
3-Pointers: Parker Long – 2
Rebounds: Ross Ryan – 10
Assists: Jalen Gant and Antoine Pittman – 2
Steals: five players – 1
Blocked Shots: Jalen Gant – 1
 
What's Next?
The Saints return to regular season action Friday as they host Eureka in a 3:15 p.m. afternoon contest in Moloney Arena.