Halftime Report
Only one more half stands between San Fran. and the win they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a quick 33-29 lead against Saint Louis.
If San Fran. keeps playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 7-2 in no time. On the other hand, Saint Louis will have to make due with a 5-3 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Saint Louis Billikens @ San Fran. Dons
Current Records: Saint Louis 5-2, San Fran. 6-2
How To Watch
What to Know
Saint Louis has enjoyed a three-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will venture away from home to challenge the San Fran. Dons at 10:00 p.m. ET on Thursday at War Memorial Gymnasium. The Billikens are strutting in with some offensive muscle as they’ve averaged 80.1 points per game this season.
Last Monday, Saint Louis was able to grind out a solid victory over Jackson State, taking the game 74-66.
Saint Louis’ win was the result of several impressive offensive performances. One of the most notable came from Isaiah Swope, who scored 18 points in addition to seven assists and five rebounds. Another player making a difference was Gibson Jimerson, who had 21 points.
Saint Louis was working as a unit and finished the game with 19 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Jackson State only posted 11.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask San Fran.). They blew past Mercyhurst, posting an 87-59 win. The Dons have made a habit of sweeping their opponents off the court, having now won four matchups by 21 points or more this season.
San Fran. can attribute much of their success to Malik Thomas, who went 11 for 15 en route to 29 points plus four steals. The dominant performance also gave Thomas a new career-high in field goal percentage (73.3%). Tyrone Riley IV was another key player, going 5 for 8 en route to 13 points plus five rebounds and two steals.
Saint Louis pushed their record up to 5-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. As for San Fran., the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 6-2.
Thursday’s match is shaping up to be a masterclass in shooting: Saint Louis has been crazy accurate this season, having made 47.6% of their field goals per game. However, it’s not like San Fran. struggles in that department as they’ve made 49% of their field goals this season. Given these competing strengths, it’ll be interesting to see how their clash plays out.
Saint Louis is hoping to beat the odds on Thursday, as the experts think they’re headed for a loss. This will be their first time playing as the underdogs on the road this season.
Odds
San Fran. is a big 8.5-point favorite against Saint Louis, according to the latest college basketball odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Dons as a 9.5-point favorite.
The over/under is 151.5 points.
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