ST. LOUIS (AP) — Dwayne Evans scored 14 points and Rob Low added 12 as Saint Louis defeated Southern Illinois 61-51 on Saturday night.
Cody Ellis and Mike McCall Jr. had nine points each for the Billikens (3-2), who shot 51.2 percent (22 of 43) from the floor.
Jeff Early scored 15 points, Dantiel Daniels 12 and Desmar Jackson 10 for the Salukis (3-1).
Saint Louis built a 27-18 lead at the break as Southern Illinois shot just 24.2 percent (8 of 33) in the first half.
A 3-pointer by Kendal Brown-Surles got the Salukis within 333-28 early in the second half, but Evan scored back-to-back layups for the Billkens to return the cushion above double digits, where it remained the rest of the way.