When 最新杏吧原创 University went up by 18 points on Loyola Marymount early in the second half, or even when the Billikens led by 13 with 4陆 minutes to play, it looked like SLU had the game in control.
But SLU guard Isaiah Swope had something coach Josh Schertz had said in his mind.
鈥淪chertz told us early in the year, we鈥檒l have probably over 70 percent of our games decided in the last four minutes,鈥 Swope said.
Which proved to be the case. LMU cut the lead to six and would have had a chance to make it closer had it been able to get a rebound of a SLU miss with just over two minutes left. SLU survived a run of 6 minutes, 27 seconds where it made no field goals and just four free throws to beat LMU 77-71 on Saturday night before 5,210 fans at Chaifetz Arena. Two of SLU鈥檚 first three games have come down to the closing minutes.
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鈥淲e did a lot of good things to win the game,鈥 Schertz said. 鈥淒id a lot of things to put ourselves in peril. A lot of areas to grow and improve upon. Certainly the closing, from turnovers and some strange shot selection to defensive miscues, we got to be better down the stretch in a tight game to finish the right way.鈥
Swope and Gibson Jimerson each had 23 points, with Jimerson also getting seven rebounds. Kalu Anya had nine points, 13 rebounds, including six offensive rebounds, and five assists. Kobe Johnson, who had missed the first two games with a shoulder injury, returned to action. He started but played only 18 minutes and didn鈥檛 score, though Schertz brought him into the game in the closing minutes to play defense as the team tried to protect the lead.
While the last few minutes were a bit rocky, SLU (2-1) had looked good up until that point, using a couple of runs to build the lead. SLU closed the first half with a 12-2 run that turned a close game into a 12-point lead for the Billikens at the intermission.
Eight of SLU鈥檚 12 points in that run came from Jimerson, and they were the ones that moved him from fifth to third on the school鈥檚 all-time scoring list as he passed Monroe Douglass at 1,877 and Roland Gray at 1,880. Jimerson finished the night with 1,892 points and is 18 behind Irwin Claggett for second place at 1,910, so catching him could come as soon as SLU鈥檚 next game, against Wichita State on Friday night in Kansas City. After that, only Anthony Bonner at 1,972 points will be ahead of him.
Swope also had a hot hand in the first half, making five of nine shots for 12 points. Included in those was something you won鈥檛 see very often from SLU: a mid-range jumper. The team鈥檚 offense is built around either scoring at the basket or making 3s. In the first two games, the only shot that wasn鈥檛 a 3 or a layup was one where Jimerson inadvertently had his foot on the 3-point line. But in the first half, Swope took three 12-footers, making two of them.
鈥淚'm not 6-7,鈥 said Swope, who is 5-10. 鈥淪o sometimes getting down there too deep, it causes a lot of trouble. So just trying to keep the defense honest and if I'm open, just shoot it.鈥
鈥淚 don't mind Isaiah shooting them,鈥 Schertz said, 鈥渂ecause he can make him. Just got to get separation. The three shots were all, I think, wide open. He made two out of three. If he gets that separation, he can make that shot. I would call that a mastery shot for him.鈥
The good things SLU had done took a break starting with about 7陆 minutes to go. Over a stretch of nine possessions, the Billikens had four turnovers, went 0 for 3 on 3s, missed two shots from in close and went 4 for 4 at the free throw line. It wasn鈥檛 until an out-of-bounds play with just under a minute left where Jimerson hit a corner 3 that SLU could feel safe again.
Johnson鈥檚 return was a surprise, since he didn鈥檛 resume full practice with the team until Friday but showed enough that Schertz started him, though his playing time was limited and he clearly wasn鈥檛 at his best. Schertz was high on the contributions that Larry Hughes II and Josiah Dotzler made off the bench in the second half. Dotzler played just three minutes in the first half, but 13 in the second, taking Johnson鈥檚 role.
鈥淚 thought Josiah鈥檚 minutes and Larry鈥檚 minutes were significant,鈥 Schertz said. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 win without Josiah, without Larry, because Kobe didn鈥檛 look like himself. Amari (McCottry, who played seven minutes in the first half and none in the second) struggled; that鈥檚 typical for a freshman.鈥
And getting Johnson back also brings SLU one step closer to having its full team together.
鈥淚t's great,鈥 said Jimerson. 鈥淎 big guard like that, long arms, obviously, experienced guy. He's one of our better on ball defenders. Obviously, he's got to get his wind back and stuff. He's been out for a little bit, but it was huge to have him out there. It's good to see him back. Obviously, we'll get back to it this week. He had some great plays for us down the stretch.鈥
The last piece is getting Robbie Avila back on the court, and it鈥檚 possible that happens against Wichita State.
鈥淗e was able to do some stuff today on the anti-gravity treadmill,鈥 Schertz said. 鈥淪o we did some running on that. I don鈥檛 know how fast it was but I also don't know how fast he runs normally. So whatever it was, he was on the anti-gravity running. And he's got benchmarks he has to hit. And if he can hit those benchmarks, the hope is, the north star is the Wichita State game, that he could be ready to go for that game. Doesn't mean it's going to happen. He and the medical staff will do everything they can to make it happen. But we're never going to put a guy out there if he's not ready.鈥
