
St. Louis University guard Isaiah Swope makes a pass in the first half of a game against the University of Dayton on Friday, Jan. 31, 2025, at Chaifetz Arena.
ONIONS.
— Saint Louis Men's Basketball (@SaintLouisMBB)
What looked like was going to be a familiar loss for St. Louis University turned into an amazing come-from-behind win with a 7-0 run in the final 37 seconds for a 73-71 win over Massachusetts in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Down three points with 37 seconds to play, SLU got a lay-in by Kalu Anya to get within a point and then a 3-pointer by Isaiah Swope with 9.3 seconds to play. UMass’ drive to tie was blocked.
SLU did it without Robbie Avila, whose tough stretch of games continued, this time he fouled out with 8:31 to play in the second half, the last one coming on a reach from behind as he tried to break up a pass into the post. Avila finished with six points, four rebounds, four assists an three turnovers in 23 minutes. It was the second game in a row Avila was in single digits in points after scoring four against Dayton on Friday.
The win keeps SLU (14-9, 7-3) in third place with UMass falling to 10-13, 5-5. SLU will stay on the East Coast until it plays St. Joseph’s on Friday in Philadelphia.
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Swope led SLU with 20 points and Gibson Jimerson had 18 points.
SLU got clobbered on the boards again (UMass had 21 offensive rebounds for 19 second-chance points) and turned the ball over a lot again (15 for 20 UMass points) but managed to win.
SLU fell behind by 10 in the second half and then cut the lead to three and were down four with 3:46 to go when Kobe Johnson fouled Jaylen Curry on a long 3-point try but got a break when Curry missed two of the three free throws and a Jimerson lay-in made it a three-point game at 69-66. UMass had three shots on its next possession and couldn’t score, but when SLU finally got the ball, Amari McCottry, who got most of the time after Avila fouled out, overthrew Kalu Anya trying for a fast break.
SLU got the ball back with a chance to tie and missed twice, and UMass missed two more shots on its next possession before UMass got two offensive rebounds at the other end and Daniel Rivera made both ends of a one-and-one with 1:17 to play to make it a two-possession game.
Swope missed the front end of a one-and-one with 57 seconds to play but got those two points back on a layup with 37 seconds left after a steal by McCottry.
SLU led by as many as 10 points in the first half but needed a 3-pointer by Swope with 16 seconds to go in the first half to lead at the break, 35-33. Avila, Anya and Kobe Johnson all picked up two fouls in the first half.
Avila picked up his third foul 1:33 into the second half, and UMass started the half with an 8-2 run to take a four-point at 41-37
St. Louis U. guards Isaiah Swope, left, and Amari McCottry speak with the media via Zoom on Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025, after a SLU comeback win at UMass.