Saint Louis Billikens Dwayne Evans tries to get by Saint Joseph's Hawks Papa Ndao.   UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Saint Louis Billikens Dwayne Evans tries to get by Saint Joseph’s Hawks Papa Ndao. UPI/Bill Greenblatt

Saint Louis opened the second half with a 21-5 run and coasted to its 10th consecutive victory, a 70-53 Atlantic 10 Conference decision over Saint Joseph’s Wednesday night in front of 10,012 fans at Chaifetz Arena.  The Billikens (22-5, 11-2 A-10), ranked No. 18 by the Associated Press and No. 19 in the USA Today coaches’ poll, extended their lead in the A-10 to a full game over VCU and two full games over Butler and La Salle with three games remaining.

The 10-game Saint Louis winning streak is the longest active streak in the A-10 and the eighth longest in the nation. The Billikens have won 10 straight for the first time since the 1993-94 squad began the season 14-0. Eight of the 10 wins have been by a double-digit margin.

The league-leading SLU defense delivered again, holding Saint Joseph’s to its lowest point total in an A-10 game and its lowest shooting percentage (.326) overall this season. The 17-point margin was the Hawks’ second-worst defeat in a league contest this year.

Dwayne Evans led the Billikens with 21 points and 12 rebounds (five offensive), the junior forward’s third double-double in the last six outings. Evans, who topped the 20-point mark for a fourth time this season, sank a career-high nine free throws in a season-high 11 attempts as SLU went 19-of-24 (.792) from the line. He also equaled career highs with three blocks and three steals.

Up next for Saint Louis is a trip to George Washington for a 3 p.m. (CT) tip-off Saturday, March 2. The game will be televised by FOX Sports Midwest.