Feb. 4, 2009

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ST. LOUIS - Kevin Lisch scored 21 points and Willie Reed converted a big three-point play with 12 seconds left in overtime to help Saint Louis to a 78-74 overtime win over Duquesne at Chaifetz Arena.

Aaron Jackson, who hit a jumper at the end of regulation to force the overtime, scored a game-high 29 for Duquesne.

Duquesne, which never led in the overtime period, was down 73-71 when Lisch missed the second of two free throws. Reed grabbed the rebound, scored a layup and was fouled. He converted the free throw to give the Billikens a 76-71 lead with 12 seconds left. Eric Evans cut the lead to two with a deep 3-pointer before SLU's Kwamain Mitchell hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left to seal the win.

Saint Louis moved to 13-9 overall and 4-4 in the Atlantic 10 with the win. Duquesne, which also lost in overtime at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 21, fell to 14-7 overall and 5-3 in conference play.

"We had every opportunity in the world and didn't make the plays when we had to," said Duquesne head coach Ron Everhart. "You can't miss that many layups and have a chance to win. They made their layups under duress and we didn't and that was the difference in the game."

Duquesne was down 62-54 with 2:33 to go in regulation before Jackson began a 7-0 run with a pair of free throws. Bill Clark converted a three-point play and Jackson hit two more free throws to make it 62-61 with 1:16 to go. Lisch made one of two free throws four second later. SLU's Barry Eberhardt missed a pair of free throws with six seconds left to set up Jackson's shot that forced the overtime.

There were a total of 14 ties and 14 lead changes in the game. Duquesne trailed from the 11:45 mark of the second half until Jackson's game-tying shot.

Duquesne, which had one more field goal than Saint Louis, went 15-of-19 from the foul line. Saint Louis went 19-of-29 from the stripe. Damian Saunders and Bill Clark both fouled out for the Dukes who were whistled for 23 fouls.

Saunders, who fouled out with six seconds left in regulation, posted his fifth double-double of the season with 14 points and a game-high 10 rebounds. He also had three steals and blocked a career-high six shots. Clark, who fouled out with 1:08 left in overtime, finished with 13.

Jackson, who played all 45 minutes, was 10-of-19 from the field and 8-of-10 from the foul line.

Saint Louis, which entered the game ranked second nationally in 3-point field goal defense, held the Dukes to five 3-pointers on a season-low 19 attempts. The Billikens, led by Lisch's 4-of-7, went 7-of-17 from the arc.

"We had some pretty nice looks," said Everhart. "We just didn't knock them down. They made some tough plays down the stretch."

Duquesne returns to action on Saturday when it hosts No. 9 (AP) Xavier at the Palumbo Center. The game, which will be televised regionally by CBS College Sports, will tip at 7:00 p.m. The game, which will be the Dukes' annual "Red-Out" night, will air live locally on Fox Sports Net Pittsburgh.

NOTES
- This was the first time this season the Dukes attempted fewer than 20 3-pointers (5-of-19) ... Duquesne was outscored 10-7 in points off turnovers ... DU had a season-low eight assists on its 27 field goals ... Jackson finished with 29 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals ... Duquesne's largest lead was six with 19:38 left in the second half ... Saint Louis led by nine with 12:08 to go ... Lisch and Reed combined for 11 of SLU's 15 overtime points.