Box Score Final Statistics | PDF Version

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Defending Atlantic-10 Conference champion Saint Louis (1-0) trailed at halftime, but used a big second half to get by regional-rival Southeast Missouri (0-1), 87-64, Friday night at Chaifetz Arena.

SLU fell behind, 35-34, before starting the second half with a 25-8 run to blow the game open. The Billikens outscored Southeast, 53-29, during the final 20 minutes en route to their season-opening win.

Southeast entered the game without preseason All-Ohio Valley Conference picks Tyler Stone and Nino Johnson, and fellow returning starter A.J. Jones. Stone and Johnson are out the first two games of the season after recently being suspended.

The other news came right before tip-off when it was announced that Jones withdrew from Southeast and is no longer part of the basketball program.

Once the dust settled, Southeast took the court with nine players, including one with Division I experience.

The shorthanded Redhawks gave SLU all it could handle in the first half, as Jarekious Bradley scored nine of his team's first 13 points.

SLU later took advantage of three-consecutive missed field goals and a turnover by Southeast to build a 10-point cushion with Dwayne Evans' layup putting the Billikens ahead, 29-19, at the 7:49 mark.

The Redhawks quickly countered with a 16-5 run, aided by six-straight points from freshman Antonius Cleveland. Cleveland knocked down a three-pointer to bring Southeast to within a point before Bradley hit a jumper to give the Redhawks a one-point lead at the half.

"I was really proud of our team tonight," said Southeast head coach Dickey Nutt. "This team has been through a lot in the last 72 hours and our guys played as hard as they could. We did some good things and I hope we can grow from this."

Darrian Gray completed a conventional three-point play to give Southeast a four-point edge (38-34) early in the second half before SLU strung together its hefty run over the next 10 minutes.

Southeast, which simply wore down against the bigger Billiken club, never recovered.

Bradley, one of four Redhawks who made their first career start, notched a double-double 22 points and 12 rebounds to lead Southeast. He shot 10-of-17 from the field, knocked down two three-pointers, gathered two blocks and had four steals in 38 minutes. Bradley dropped in 15 of his points and had all but one of his rebounds in the first half.

Cleveland and Gray followed with 14 and 12 points, respectively. Cleveland added seven rebounds, as well.

Nutt was the lone Southeast player who had played at the NCAA Divison I level prior to tonight. He chipped in eight points and a team-high four assists in 37 minutes.

The Redhawks shot 37.5 percent (21-of-56) from the field.

Grandy Glaze and Evans each scored 16 points, as four Billiken starters scored double figures. Jordair Jett also had 15 and Rob Loe pitched in 13. Additionally, Glaze was SLU's top rebounder with 10.

The Billikens heated up to shoot 65.5 percent (19-of-29) in the second half and finished at over 50 percent (51.6) for the game.

Southeast, which lost its season-opener for the eighth-straight year, fell to 9-14 all-time in season-opening games since joining the NCAA Division I ranks in 1991-92.

The Redhawks return to Cape Girardeau to host NAIA Central Baptist College in its home-opener on Nov. 11. Tip-off is set for 8 p.m., CT, at the Show Me Center.