Men's Basketball Drops Season-Opener to Saint Louis, 59-41

Nov. 14, 2009

ST. LOUIS (AP) -Willie Reed scored 15 points and had 12 rebounds and Brian Conklin had 15 points to lead Saint Louis to a 59-41 victory over Southeast Missouri State on Saturday night.

Kwamain Mitchell added 13 points for the Billikens (1-0), who helped coach Rick Majerus improve to 22-1 in season openers.

Anthony Allison and Derek Thompson had 10 points to lead Southeast Missouri State (0-1), which was playing its first game under new coach Dickey Nutt.

Saint Louis scored the first six points of the second half for a 36-20 lead. Southeast Missouri State followed with a 16-5 run, including six points from Allison and four from Thompson, to pull within 41-36 with 10 minutes left.

The Billikens put the game away with a 8-0 run. Kyle Cassity had a 3-pointer, and Reed added a dunk and free throw to put Saint Louis ahead 49-36 with 5:21 left.