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Schmidt, the St. Bonaventure men’s basketball coach, had marched almost to midcourt to shout to his team as it defended St. Louis University. That vantage point allowed him to see clearly the pump fake that his senior guard Chance Moore viewed fleetingly.

Moore bit on the fake and took flight. His momentum carried him toward the SLU bench. Schmidt knew the outcome before it happened. His shoulders said it.

By the time Moore’s feet were back on the ground, Billikens redshirt senior Gibson Jimerson — now in his sixth season — had pulled the ball back down, used a dribble and a sidestep to create space and already had the ball back locked and loaded in the shooting position.

Jimerson didn’t miss the shot. Nor did he miss a chance to show just how important a role he plays in SLU’s success, doing so against one of the top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference.

Jimerson’s game-high 28 points were nearly as much as senior guard Isaiah Swope (16 points) and star center Robbie Avila (14 points) combined Wednesday night. SLU’s 73-68 win moved it into sole possession of first place in the A-10.

Jimerson made six 3-pointers on 6-of-11 shooting from behind the arc on the night he became the conference’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made. He also grabbed six rebounds, played all 40 minutes, hit clutch free throws in the final 30 seconds and earned praise from his coach for his physical play and defense as well as his offense.

“Gib was awesome tonight,� Billikens coach Josh Schertz said. “He was awesome. The 28 is loud. Everybody sees the 28 and the six 3s. Gib had some big-time rebounds. He had some awesome collisions. He did some really good things on defense and trapping the box and loading.

“We talk about invisible plays. Gibson has really grown in his ability to understand and make those invisible plays that aren’t going to get a lot of acclaim from fans or media but that drive winning.�

For SLU to become the big-time program and the basketball presence in St. Louis that Schertz wants, they need guys like Jimerson to become players and not just shooters.

“He’s becoming a well-rounded, really efficient, impactful player,� Schertz said. “That’s your goal for every player. You want guys to be as efficient and as impactful as possible.�

In order for this season to mark the start of something for the Billikens, they need wins against teams like St. Bonaventure and VCU (up next, Tuesday in Virginia). They need wins that carry weight.

“Coming into this game, I think St. Bonaventure, they were the highest-ranked NET team in our conference, so it was a great win for us,� Jimerson said, referencing the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) rankings. “What they did defensively kind of showed — our offense and how we attacked — kind of showed that we’re able to compete with those type of teams. For us going into our next few games in conference play, it just sort of gives us that confidence.

“Again, before conference, there was all the noise about we didn’t live up to whatever. Now, it’s just being level-headed and just getting better every day. The daily process of it right now is the biggest thing.�

The Bonnies won eight consecutive games entering the night. They’d gotten off to their best start as a program (14-1) since the 1969-70 season, when they went to the Final Four.

Through this season’s start, defense had been the Bonnies’ calling card. They held eight opponents under 60 points. They ranked 11th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense (61.1 points per game), and they’d held opponents to 39.7% shooting.

Defense is part of St. Bonaventure’s DNA under Schmidt, and Jimerson roasted that defense Wednesday night.

Jimerson has averaged a team-best 23.3 points per game on a ridiculously accurate 59% shooting (50% from 3-point range) in the three conference wins.

That’s why his pump-fake 3-pointer triggered that involuntary reaction from Schmidt.

Schmidt’s shoulders dropped as soon as the ball left Jimerson’s fingers on his first 3-pointer of the second half.

That’s 18 years at St. Bonaventure and 24 total as a Division I head coach pushing those shoulders down.

That’s a scouting report painstakingly compiled with great detail showing in those shoulders.

That’s six seasons worth of seeing Jimerson make 3-pointers at a nearly 40% clip acting upon those shoulders.

And Schmidt’s reaction proved prescient. Jimerson’s shot stopped a modest run of four consecutive points by the Bonnies. It also started a stretch where Jimerson scored 13 of the Billikens 21 points and helped build a 63-47 lead with a little more than six minutes remaining. Jimerson knocked down a pair of transition 3s and a pair of layups after that pump-fake 3 from the corner.

“The ability to score the way he does — a couple of those transition 3s were so deep,� Schertz said. “The release he had from the one in the corner right by our bench. He’s a fantastic player. Honestly, I was equally as impressed with some of the movement cutting. The back doors and the layups.�

The Bonnies got within three points in the final 30 seconds, but Jimerson went 4 for 4 at the free-throw line to secure a fourth consecutive win, a third consecutive conference win and a victory in front of a home crowd that sloshed through the mix of melted snow and ice to get to their seats at Chaifetz Arena.

“He has become so much better at understanding how to move without the basketball,� Schertz continued. “He used to chase it all the time, and he’d run in circles and windshield wiper around the ball. It was dizzying for everybody. He’s learning how to leverage his gravity, his cutting. He’s learning how to pass in the seams.�

Jimerson is learning to make his game loud in multiple ways.