Saint Louis had four players score in double figures as the Billikens rolled to a 75-48 win against Fordham in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball action Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena. The win moves the Billikens to 12-6 overall and 3-1 in league play. SLU is 11-1 at Chaifetz Arena this season. Fordham dips to 2-15 and 0-5 in the A-10. SLU was led by Brian Conklin’s 15 points, while Cody Ellis scored 14 points in his first career start. Kwamain Mitchell chipped in 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, and Willie Reed registered 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting. The Billikens scored 11 of the first 13 points of the contest, punctuated by a Jon Smith dunk and a Cody Ellis trey. A Willie Reed spinning layup in the lane made it 11-2 Billikens at the 14:50 mark of the first half. Kyle Cassity and Brian Conklin entered the scoring mix, and a Reed dunk at 10:23 kept the Billikens ahead by 10 at 21-11. Ellis nailed another 3-pointer at 9:36 to put the Bills up 24-13. Saint Louis went on a 12-6 spurt to close the first session, taking a 42-24 advantage into halftime. A Smith dunk triggered the surge, while Ellis and Mitchell contributed to the cause with a pair of treys. A steal and layup at the buzzer by Mitchell sent the Billikens into halftime with the 18-point lead. Ellis led all scorers at the break with nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from 3-point range. Fordham freshman sensation Chris Gaston scored Fordham’s first four points and led the Rams with eight points at half. The Billikens scored the first four points of the second half on jumpers by Cassity and Mitchell. A Cassity trey and Brian Conklin free throw gave the Bills their biggest lead to that point at 54-25 with 14:05 left in the game. The Billikens maintained their close to 30-point lead throughout the rest of the game. Ellis nailed another 3-pointer, and Smith connected on an ally-oop off a Mitchell feed. An Ellis 3-pointer at 9:40 put the Billikens up 65-32. SLU emptied its bench for the final four minutes of the contest and secured the 27-point win. SLU shot 48.5 percent from the field and 30 percent from beyond the arc. Lance Brown led Fordham with 15 points, while Gaston chipped in with 10. The Billikens play their next two games on the road, beginning Wednesday, Jan. 27, with a 6 p.m. (CT) game at George Washington.
