National Basketball Association
Saint Louis 62, Boston College 51
When: 2:00 PM ET, Thursday, November 24, 2011
Where: Anaheim Convention Center, Anaheim, California
Officials:
# Michael Irvine, # Gregory Nixon, # Mike Scyphers
Attendance:
N/A
By SportsDirect Inc.
Led by Kwamain Mitchell’s game-high 20 points, Saint Louis remained unbeaten with a 62-51 victory over Boston College on Thursday in the first round of the 76 Classic at Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif.
The Billikens, who are 4-0 and could enter the top 25 polls next week with a strong tournament showing, will take on either Villanova or UC Riverside in the semifinals on Friday. Boston College, now 1-3, will play the loser in the consolation round.
Saint Louis led 29-23 at the half but extended its advantage to 45-30 with 15:07 left on Brian Conklin’s three-point play. Conklin, a junior forward, had 16 of his 18 points in the second half for the Billikens, who have held all four of their opponents to 64 or less.
Boston College got as close as 58-51 with 2:58 left, but Mitchell made a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession and then converted a layup on the next to stretch the lead to double figures.
Matthew Humphrey and Ryan Anderson each scored 12 points for the Eagles, who have had success in recent years in early-season tournaments. Last year, they went 2-1 in the Old Spice Classic, good for a third-place finish.
Saint Louis’ pressure man-to-man defense exposed Boston College’s young backcourt, forcing them into 21 turnovers as the Eagles struggled to find offense throughout.
Top Game Performances
| Boston College |
|
Saint Louis |
|
Ryan Anderson 12 |
Scoring |
Kwamain Mitchell 20 |
|
Danny Rubin 3 |
Assists |
Kwamain Mitchell 4 |
|
Dennis Clifford 8 |
Rebounds |
Brian Conklin 4 |
|
K.C. Caudill 4 |
Free Throws Made |
Kwamain Mitchell 5 |
|
Matt Humphrey 2 |
Steals |
Brian Conklin 3 |
|
Eddie Odio 1 |
Blocks |
Mike McCall 1 |
Team Stats Summary
| Team |
Points |
FG% |
3PM-3PA |
FTM-FTA |
Assists |
Rebounds |
Blocks |
Steals |
Turnovers |
| Boston College
|
51 |
44.2 |
5-17 |
8-13 |
10 |
31 |
1 |
2 |
20 |
| Saint Louis
|
62 |
42.3 |
6-20 |
12-16 |
13 |
23 |
2 |
7 |
7 |