In the second game of the Hall of Fame Classic, Wichita State rolled past Saint Louis 88-63, improving to 5-0 on the season on Friday night in Kansas City, Missouri.
“They’re definitely a different team when they have the best passing big man on the floor for them,” Shockers head coach Paul Mills said.
With star big man Robbie Avila sidelined due to an ankle reinjury sustained in the tournament’s opening game — and Creighton transfer Josiah Dotzler ruled out for the year — Saint Louis struggled to match up against the Shockers.
The Billikens held a lead late into the first half, but Wichita State rallied to take a 40-37 advantage into the locker room. Fifth-year big man Quincy Ballard led the way with eight first-half points, using his 6-foot-11 frame to exploit mismatches in the paint.
In the second half, Wichita State opened with an 8-0 run, five of those points coming from senior guard Bijan Cortes. The Shockers maintained momentum with strong contributions from their bench, including 12 points from Lipscomb transfer A.J. McGinnis.
Defensively, Wichita State locked down Saint Louis, holding the Billikens to 6-of-30 shooting from beyond the arc. Two of the Billikens’ top perimeter threats, Isiah Swope and Gibson Jimerson, combined to shoot just 1-of-15 from three-point range.
Next up, Wichita State will head to Lake Buena Vista, Florida, to face the Minnesota Golden Gophers on Nov. 28 in the ESPN Events Invitational.
Saint Louis (2-2) will return home for a quick turnaround, hosting Quinnipiac on Nov. 25 as it aims to get back on track.
