Mitchell’s last-second shot saves SLU The Billikens survived a late rally by St. Bonaventure to post a dramatic 67-65 victory in a wild Atlantic 10 Conference game at the Chaifetz Arena on Wednesday night.

Kwamain Mitchell’s running one-hand jumper with 1.5 seconds left gave the Billikens the victory, thus saving them from another potential heartbreaking loss.

  For the second time in a week, the Billikens blew a double-digit lead in the second half. Last week, George Washington rallied from a 13-point deficit to defeat the Bills in overtime.

  SLU led St. Bonaventure 61-51 with under four minutes left only to see the Bonnies storm back to tie the game at 65-65 on a 3-pointer by forward Jonathan Hall with 26 seconds left.

  This time, Mitchell made sure that there would not be another overtime as he dribbled around a high-screen set by Willie Reed and hit the game winner over two St. Bonaventure defenders.

  I think I can catch my breath now. After watching the last four minutes where we did just about everything to let the Bonnies back into the game, it was still nice to get the win. And a badly needed one at that.

  With this home game sandwiched in between four road games, it was imperative for the Billikids to get the victory before heading to Philadelphia for two road games.

  The kids really responded to the adversity of a two-game winning streak and the physical play of the Bonnies. It was easily the most physical game we’ve had in conference play. The officials let the guys play and the action got pretty wild out there at times.

  It was so wild that two players (one from each team) continued to play after apparently picking up their fifth personal foul, thus being disqualified from the game. SLU’s Christian Salecich fouled out first, but then returned to the game. St. Bonaventure’s Hall then fouled out, but he returned and wound up hitting the game-tying shot.

  I’m still trying to figure out how that happened. There was all kinds of commotion at the scorer’s table over whether both players fouled out or just had four fouls. It was quite a scene.

  Anyway, it was a nice team effort from all of the kids. Mitchell hit a game-high 17 points, with 16 of those coming in the second half. His clutch shooting in the second half was really what got the Billikens rolling to their double-digit advantage.

  Willie Reed played with a lot of gusto tonight in collecting 11 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots. He took up the challenge of guarding St. Bona’s 6’9” Andrew Nicholson, who is one of the top post players in the league. Nicholson scored 13 points, but Willie did a nice job on him as he forced him into several tough shots.

  Jon Smith scored 11 points, two blocks and two assists. He had another spectacular two-handed tip dunk in traffic in the first half off a missed 3-point attempt by Cody Ellis. He has been so valuable to the team on both ends of the floor. He can get his points without having to run any plays for him. He is always around the basket.

  Kyle Cassity played a splendid floor game with seven points, three assists, four steals and two blocks. Kyle’s highlight play came on defense when he jumped up and swatted a 3-point attempt by Chris Matthews, their top perimeter threat. Kyle has really become the glue of this team. On the radio, I’ve said he reminds me of cornbread. He may not be the main course, but he’s a great compliment to the main dish that makes the whole meal taste better. That’s Kyle.

  For the first time in several games, Cody Ellis wasn’t the best Aussie on the team. His best friend Christian Salecich turned in a solid game with eight points, three assists and two steals. I was glad to see Chris come out and play with some confidence and not worry about mistakes. He buried two long jumpers in the second half in the rhythm of the offense, going left off a hard dribble. 

 Brian Conklin added six points in 11 minutes off the bench. Of course, Brian is at home in a physical game. It’s like a duck in water. He had a big impact in the first half. Cody finished the game with seven points. He is not a secret anymore.

  Big win for the kids as they move to 4-3 in A-10 play and 13-8 overall. It was big because it keeps us in the upper half of the league. Remember, if we finish in the top eight, we will host a home game in the first round of the A-10 postseason tournament on March 9. That’s the goal.

  Now, it’s on to Philly for two tough games at LaSalle and St. Joseph’s.

  I’ll have a pre-game on LaSalle on Friday.

  Until then. Go Bills!