Atlantic 10 Conference Basketball - CBI Tournament Recap |
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CBI First Round Recap - Saint Louis vs Indiana StateSt. Louis 63, Indiana State 54
After a promising regular season that created a positive buzz for the first time in coach Rick Majerus’ tenure, the Saint Louis Billikens were disappointed not to receive a bid to the NIT. Observers could have questioned their motivation heading into Tuesday night’s matchup with the Indiana State Sycamores in the third-tier CBI tournament. This isn’t where the Bills expected to be. For the Sycamores, the vibe was quite positive. Upon learning his team had received a CBI bid, ISU coach Kevin McKenna expressed excitement about being selected to appear in the tournament. Even though its best player, point guard Harry Marshall, would miss the game with a foot injury, Indiana State was just happy to be alive. But surprisingly enough, so was SLU. There are ways to channel feelings of frustration and disappointment in a positive direction. Majerus has heaped love and praise on his promising young team lately, and it looks like the legendary coach pushed the right buttons. You have to appreciate a team that makes the best of the hand it’s been dealt. Tuesday night at Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis, the Billikens advanced to the second round of the CBI with a 63-54 win that was more impressive than the final score. SLU’s intensity showed up right away, when Kyle Cassity and Kwamain Mitchell helped the Bills to an early 11-1 lead. Their biggest advantage of the first half came when Cody Ellis hit a three-pointer with 8:02 left, giving SLU a 28-12 edge. Sophomore center Willie Reed, clearly the best of the big men in this matchup, led the Bills with 13 first-half points and finished with 17.
Without Marshall, the Sycamores had no answer for Mitchell, the talented sophomore point guard. The 5'10" Milwaukee native poured in 19 points. The highlight-reel play of the night came with 11:16 left in the second half. Mitchell received a pass at the top of the key and shook off his defender with a brilliant sequence of moves that included a crossover dribble and hesitation stutter-step, followed by a drive down the lane, a fake pass, and up-and-under layup finish. Mitchell’s Chris Paul-style shake-and-bake gave SLU a 16-point lead. Indiana State chipped away at SLU’s advantage, drawing as close as eight points with three minutes to play, but Mitchell did the little things to help the Billikens hold the Sycamores at bay. First he recovered a pinball carom of an offensive rebound to kill an extra 20 seconds. Then, on the defensive end, his tough man-to-man pressure forced an errant pass by Indiana State’s Aaron Carter, giving SLU the ball and essentially icing the game.
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