Nov. 25, 2005

Box Score

ST. LOUIS, MO. - Four Billikens scored in double figures led by Rachel Diener's 16 points to lead St. Louis to a 65-50 win over Yale on Friday night in the opening round of the St. Louis Billiken Classic. Sara McCollum led all Bulldogs with 11 points and 9 rebounds, but the Elis were unable to overcome 9 second half turnovers as the Billiken's pulled away late, thanks to a 13-0 run midway through the second period.

The Billikens took control of the early goings, scoring the game's first six points and drawing a pair of foul's on Sarah McCollum (Old Lyme, Conn.), forcing the Bulldog forward out of the game in the opening three minutes. A Marquite McFarland basket put St. Louis up 8-1 at the 2:47 mark. A Sarah Zoubek (Haddonfield, N.J.) and-one lay-up cut the lead to 8-4. Kaitlin Emmerling (Lakewood, Colo.) then buried a three to bring Yale to within one at 8-7.

The teams would trade baskets, maintaining a one point St. Louis lead until back-to-back jumpers by the Billikens' Hayley Leake to give St. Louis a 5 point cushion at 18-13. A pair of Zoubek free throws cut the lead back to three but St. Louis reeled of the next six, capped by a Deiner lay-up on the fast break.

The Bulldogs called a timeout, and Chinenye Okafor (Rolla, Mo.) hit a quck lay-in to get back within 7 with just over 7:50 left.

St. Louis would build their lead to as many as 13 on a Jackie Gilbert (Jonesboro, Ark.) shot before Yale rallied late, as the Bulldogs pulled to within six at the 1:08 mark on a McCollum jumper in the paint. The lead was further cut when Kaitlyn Lillemoe (Minnetonka, Minn.) got out on the break for a layup. The Elis had a chance to cut the lead to just two, but Emily St. Jean (Danville, Calif.) couldn't connect on a pair of attempts from the charity stripe, sending the team's into the break with St. Louis leading 36-32.

The Billikens came out of the locker room and quickly doubled their lead, going up 40-32 on a Deiner lay-in.

Yale would pull to within as close as 4 on a long Jamie Van Horne (Healdsburg, Calif.) trifecta, but that triggeredd a 13-0 Billiken run to put St. Louis up 55-38 with 9:37 left to play. Yale would struggle for the duration, shooting only 7-26 (.296) from the field in the half, and have two starters foul out.

Yale (0-3) will take on New Orleans in the consolation game on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. eastern, while St. Louis (1-1) will take on Miami (Ohio) in the championship game at 8:30 p.m.