The No. 21 Billikens men’s basketball program rises to 20-1 after overcoming a 15-point deficit against the George Washington University Revolutionaries on Tuesday, Jan 27. Star center Robbie Avila and sophomore point guard Trey Green combined for 45 points on a shared efficiency of 54% from the field and a staggering 56% from beyond the arc in the 79-76 win.
After an early layup by senior wing Dion Brown, the Billikens went four minutes without scoring a second basket, allowing GW to go on a 10-point run. The Billikens would not retake the lead until there were fewer than seven minutes left in the game, after Green buried a 3-pointer. The teams would exchange the lead four more times before GW’s Rafael Castro tied the game at 76 with 1:14 left to play, slamming down a putback over senior forward Paul Otieno.
After an unsuccessful possession on the other end, SLU held its own against two attempts in the paint by the Revolutionaries, with Avila stopping GW’s Tyrone Marshall on the drive, and junior wing Kellen Thames flying to contest Garret Johnson’s second-chance attempt. Billikens head coach Josh Schertz read GW’s defense and opted to call a timeout with 17.3 seconds left to play.
Green inbounded to Thames in the backcourt. With Johnson on him, Thames faked left and drove right. Castro came over to help. Spinning right, Thames found Avila wide open at the top of the key. Avila buried the 3-pointer, giving the Billikens the lead with three seconds left. Avila then drove the final nail into GW’s coffin, stealing the inbound pass and cementing the win for Saint Louis.
“I’m comfortable in that situation,” Avila said after the game. “[Kellen Thames], credit to him. He got downhill, drew two guys and made the right play.”
Thames finished the night with 15 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field. Fourteen of those points were in the paint, despite Castro, who had four blocks on the night, in his way.
“Hitting those big time shots, late game scenarios, it’s something that I pride myself for. Not shying away from those big moments,” Avila said.
Avila finished the contest with 22 points, seven boards, five assists and three steals on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and 4-of-8 from outside.
“There’s nobody I’ve seen who’s more clutch than Robbie Avila,” Schertz said. “It feels like every time he gets a shot like that, he’s going to make it. You never feel like he’s going to miss.”
Schertz also gave praise to Green, who scored a game-high 23 points, shooting 8-of-15 from the floor and 6-of-10 from 3-point land.
“[Trey Green] was the one thing, for a lot of the game, keeping contact,” Schertz said. “It felt like we were behind the whole game . . . they’d get 11, he’d make a three, cut it to 8 . . . he’s just such a terrific 3-point shooter.”
Schertz made sure to highlight Green’s defensive effort.
“He was competing his brains out defensively. He’s small so he’s got to be up under people and be physical and pressure the ball . . . he did a great job tonight and he has all year,” Schertz said.
Green, who is listed at 6-foot tall, found himself switched onto GW wings Johnson and Marshall multiple times, both listed at 6-foot-8-inches tall. Despite the size mismatch, Green got multiple stops against the GW switch in crucial possessions throughout the game.
Junior aeronautics major Jasper Kringen spoke about his reaction to the win.
“[I feel] fantastic,” Kringen said. “As coach Dan Lanning of the Oregon Ducks would say, that’s [being] ‘battle tested’ right there – you need a few close ones every once in a while.”
Carter Ferricks, a junior studying economics and sports business, said he could pinpoint the specific moment he realized SLU would pull off the comeback.
“There was a foul on Robbie, an and-1, and Chaifetz started to erupt,” Ferricks said. “It’s easy for the student section to get into it, but when the entirety of Chaifetz got on their feet, the momentum shifted dramatically.”
The Billikens will look to maintain their perfect in-conference record in front of a sold-out crowd in Chaifetz Arena on Friday, Jan. 30, hosting their top rivals, the Dayton Flyers.
“I couldn’t be more pumped,” Kringen said about the upcoming matchup. “We’re going to be three times louder.”