Bill Barrett

Hello Everyone, and Welcome to the 1st Volume of Weekly Write. Weekly Write is a twice-a-month STL or National sports article by me, Charlie Bilyeu. This week I’m watched an STL College Basketball Showdown. The SLU Billikens Vs. Saint Joseph’s Hawks.

1st Half

SLU had the home-court advantage in the Chaffetz Arena on Wednesday night last week, but they had a challenging task ahead of them; they were set to face #1 ranked Saint Joseph’s Hawks. The tip-off at 6 p.m. started the Atlantic 10 Battle. Saint Joseph’s quickly got out in front in the first half with an 8-3 lead. Saint Joseph’s Would extend the lead and quite the crowd of over 1000 with Clutch rebounds and Well-timed fast breaks. The Hawks led 43-33 going into the half. 

Halftime

The Hawks led in rebounds, shooting percentage, and free throws in the first half.  SLU was outplayed, but long-time head coach Travis Ford made it a point to say, “It’s not over till it’s over.” SLU players were coming off two straight losses to Average teams. If they didn’t make a move now, they would likely skid off the March Madness bracket in no time.

2nd Half

The Energy in the stadium was back, the crowd roaring for their team. But that didn’t last long as the Saint Joseph’s Hawks extended their lead to 52-38 early in the 2nd half. However, physical defense and some well-timed three-pointers from Gibson Jimerson put the Billikens within five points, 59-54, with 12 minutes left. The Performance from Star player Gibson Jimerson didn’t stop there, and two more three-points gave SLU the lead for the first time: 65-63 SLU with 9 Minutes left. Physical defense from Terrance Hargrove Jr. and Chinese Superstar Bruce Zhang caused turnovers and long possessions for SLU. But Saint Joseph shot well from beyond the arc to tie the game 80-80 with one minute left. SLU Had momentum from a Dunk that made it 82-80 and never lost it. Final: 88-85 SLU Wins. SLU is now 7-11, and Saint Joseph’s is now 15-2.

Player of the game

Without a doubt, the player of the game was Montverde Academy Graduate Gibson Jimerson. His final stat line included 27 points in a span of 37 minutes. The Streak of Three Pointers late in the 2nd half foreshadowed what Jimerson can do with the ball in his hands.