British stone. LOUIS (AP) — Amari McCourtery scored 18 points, Deion Brown added 15 and No. 25 St. Louis beat Loyola Chicago 79-65 on Wednesday night to clinch the top seed in the Atlantic 10 Tournament.
The Billikens (27-3, 15-2) remain undefeated for the first time in Chaifetz Arena’s 18-year history and tie a school record with 22 straight home wins, including 19 this season.
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Xavier Amos led the Ramblers (7-23, 3-14) with a season-high 25 points and Kayde Dotson added 19 points. Amos scored 18 points in the first half, hitting all seven of his field goals, including four 3-pointers in three minutes, to close an early 12-point deficit.
Loyola Chicago, which ranks at the bottom, shoots just 31 percent from three-point range, but maintains that gap by shooting 9 percent better than the nation’s top three-point shooting team.
St. Louis made up for it by shooting 60 percent from the field, eventually scoring eight points on a Paul Otieno layup to make it 70-54 with 4:49 left.
Robbie Avila finished with 12 points and six rebounds in his final home game, and the sold-out crowd chanted “Robbie! Robbie!” when coach Josh Schertz pulled him in the final minute.
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After trailing by double digits in their first three games, including their only two conference losses, the Billikens threatened to take this game early. McCurtry and Brady Dunlap hit consecutive three-pointers, and St. Louis scored 12 consecutive points to chase the score to 18-6.
After Amos’ panic, Avila and Trey Green teamed up for a three-pointer and launched a 10-0 burst to help the Billikens maintain the lead. St. Louis led 40-32 at halftime.
Next
Loyola Chicago hosts George Washington on Saturday.
St. Louis visits George Mason University on Saturday.
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