 Billikens' First Victory a Memorable One
Nov. 20, 2007
NASHVILLE - Saint Louis registered its first victory of the 2007-08 campaign in dramatic fashion Tuesday night, rallying from a 19-point first-half deficit to defeat Tennessee State 83-77 at the Gentry Center. Katie Paganelli and Amanda Kemezys recorded season scoring highs with 23 and 21 points, respectively, to power Saint Louis (1-3). Kemezys' total was just one point shy of her career best. The Billikens blistered the nets at a 58.6-percent clip (17-of-29) in the second half and finished the game at a season-best 52.8 percent (28-of-53). "True character is revealed in adverse situations, and I think my team showed its true character tonight," head coach Shimmy Gray-Miller said. "To come back from a huge deficit on the road is something we can build on, and I believe we will." A Paganelli jumper and Kemezys' conventional 3-point play gave the Bills an early 5-2 lead before the Lady Tigers caught fire. Kendra Appling scored 16 of her 19 first-half points in a 32-10 outburst that gave Tennessee State a 34-15 cushion with 7:27 remaining. The resilient Billikens stormed back, however, scoring the next seven points to ignite a 19-7 run that closed the gap at intermission to 41-34. Six Billikens scored during the spurt, with nine points coming from the foul line. SLU's 11-5 advantage at the stripe helped keep the Bills in the game during the first 20 minutes. After making just two of its first seven shots, Saint Louis netted 9-of-17 the rest of the half and finished the opening stanza at 45.8 percent (11-of-24). Tennessee State's 51.6-percent mark (16-of-31) included Appling's 4-of-4 clinic from 3-point range. "We were flat outworked by an intense, scrappy Tennessee State team for much of the first half," Gray-Miller said. "Although it doesn't show up in the box score, Jameela Haynes came off the bench and gave us a much-needed spark late in the half. She was the Most Valuable Player of the game."
The Billikens started the second half blazing, going 9-of-11 from the floor in the first nine minutes. The comeback was a gradual process, however, as Tennessee State (1-2) went 8-of-12 during that same stretch. Trailing 65-58, the Bills began the push that finally put them over the hump. Paganelli hit a jumper, Maggie Hennegan turned a steal into a layup and Paganelli buried a trey to create a 65-all deadlock with 8:15 left. After Charisse Hicks and Paganelli traded 3-pointers, Paganelli made a driving layup to put SLU on top for good, 70-68, at the 5:53 mark. Amy Klotz converted an offensive rebound into a layup to give SLU a 72-68 lead with 5:15 to play. Two Tennessee State free throws on different possessions made it a two-point game, but Kemezys followed with a basket and two free throws to put the Billikens back in command, 76-70, with 2:28 remaining. Hennegan, who finished with 12 points, hit a key basket seconds later and added two free throws with 21 seconds left to put the game out of reach. Hennegan and Kemezys led the Bills on the boards, gathering nine rebounds apiece. Hayley Leake and Paganelli tallied six and five assists, respectively. Although Appling scored a game-high 35 points, the Billikens limited her to just one 3-point basket in the second half. Obiageli Okafor registered 13 points and nine rebounds, and LaDona Pierce collected a game-high seven assists. Saint Louis hosts Morehead State at the Bauman-Eberhardt Center on Saturday. Game time is 2 p.m. |
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