Saint Louis uses second half comeback to outlast Richmond

Mar 15, 2019, 03:06 am

NEW YORK -- Hasahn French scored 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to lead Saint Louis to a stirring 71-68 second half comeback win over Richmond in the fourth of four second round Atlantic 10 Tournament games Thursday.

Tramaine Isabell Jr. added 17, and Javon Bess had 14 for the Billikens (20-12), who will meet third-seeded Dayton in a quarterfinal game Friday. The teams split the regular season series, with Saint Louis and Dayton each winning on its home court.

With the loss, Richmond's (13-20) has come to an end. Grant Golden led the Spiders with 20 points. Jacob Gilyard and Nathan Cayo each finished with 12, and Andre Gustavson had 10.

The Spiders led by as many as 11 in the second half, and maintained their advantage until Isabell drilled a left-side 3 with 5:06 left to tie the game at 62-all. On Saint Louis' next possession, Jordan Goodwin's tip-in gave the Billikens their first lead since the 13:46 mark of the first half.

Saint Louis' lead grew to as many as five, 69-64, after Bess made two free throws with 1:38 left. But Richmond responded with layups from Gilyard and Cayo to cut the deficit to 69-68. Bess made two free throws to extend the lead to three, and Gilyard's desperation 3 at the buzzer did not even reach the rim.