Gibson Jimerson was the star of the show this weekend, netting an impressive 33 points to propel the Saint Louis Billikens to a dominant victory over Loyola Chicago. In a clash that concluded with a hefty 98-67 scoreline for the Billikens yesterday, Jimerson's performance from beyond the arc was nothing short of remarkable as the guard matched a personal best and set a school record while he was at it. As reported by stltoday.com, Jimerson's 33 points came from connecting on nine 3-pointers, with every shot he took coming from long distance, an effort which also helped the Billikens set a team record with a total of 18 3-pointers in the game.
Not only did the victory underscore Jimerson's prowess from downtown, but it also brought about a significant reshuffle in the Atlantic-10 Conference standings. Before the matchup, Loyola Chicago occupied solo possession of third place but the loss, as outlined by Fox2Now, has now lumped them into a four-way tie with Saint Louis, Dayton, and Saint Joseph’s. All teams find themselves trailing conference leader VCU by four games with merely a couple of matches remaining in the regular season.
Alongside Jimerson, Robbie Avila significantly contributed to the Billikens' win with 28 points, including a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point land. He also hauled in seven rebounds and dished out five assists, providing support in multiple facets of the game. Isaiah Swope chipped in with 12 points, as "SLU made a school record 18 3s in the game," according to Jimerson's comments shared by stltoday.com.
On the other side of the court, Loyola Chicago had their moments, particularly at the start of the second half where they managed to cut down the lead to 13 points, before SLU responded with a rapid 10-0 run. According to loyolaramblers.com, Miles Rubin led the Ramblers with 16 points. Despite the loss, Loyola outperformed in points in the paint (34-18) and off the bench (17-14). However,, it was the Billikens night, with Kilian Brockhoff's corner three contributing to SLU's largest lead of 34 points near the end of the clash.
Loyola Chicago will be looking to bounce back when they host Davidson on Wednesday, hoping to regain their standing and finish strong in the Atlantic-10 Conference.
