THE BASICS:

RESULT: Saint Louis 85, Hartford 68
LOCATION:Chaifetz Arena (St. Louis, Mo.)
ATTENDANCE:6068
RECORDS:St. Louis (1-0); Hartford (1-1)

THE LEAD:
Pancake Thomas scored 15 points to go along with seven rebounds and four assists, but Saint Louis placed five players in double figures to post an 85-68 win over the Hartford men's basketball team on Sunday. John Carroll added 14 points to go with two blocks, while Justin Graham added 13 points, three assists and three rebounds. Evan Cooper had a strong game with eight points and two assists in 13 minutes for the Hawks.

FIRST HALF:
The Hawks began ice cold from the floor, with only a Carroll basket connecting in the first 5:30 of the game. On the other side, Saint Louis began strong from the floor, with a Marcus Bartley three-ball giving the Billikens a 16-2 lead with 14:33 to play in the half.

Cooper came off the bench for the Hawks and gave the visitors a spark, drilling a three-ball at 14:22 to start Hartford on a 13-0 run that cut the lead to just one. Thomas delivered five straight points in the rally, and Graham hit a three as well during that period. The Hawks were later able to knot the game up at 18 on a Thomas three.

SLU came back to regain a six-point edge at 28-22, but the Hawks used a 6-0 run to knot the game up once more. After a pair of Billikens free throws, Hartford got a three-ball from Graham to garner a 31-30 lead, its only edge of the contest. Saint Louis was able to close out the half on a 7-1 run to take a 37-32 lead into the locker room.

SECOND HALF:
The Hawks drew first blood out of the locker room, with a Taylor Dyson three cutting the lead to 37-35. But Hartford went cold after that basket, and SLU was able to put together a 10-0 run and take a 12-point advantage. A three-ball from Evan Cooper snapped the rally, but Saint Louis came right back with seven straight to open a 16-point edge.

Hartford scored five straight, including a Jason Dunne three, to cut it to 54-43. The teams traded points back-and-forth, and a dunk by Jack Hobbs off a steal put the deficit at just 10 at 64-54 with 7:54 to play. The deficit went back and forth between 10 and 14 to 72-58, but the Hawks rallied with five straight on a triple by George Blagojevic and a pair of free throws from Thomas to make it 72-63 with 4:02 left. But that was as close as the Hawks would get it, as SLU finished off the contest.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
St. Louis shot 26-for-40 at the free-throw line to the Hawks' 15-for-22. Hartford was whistled for 32 fouls to the Billikens' 23.

All 14 players who made the trip for Hartford appeared in the game, including the first career appearance for TreVaughn Wilkerson.

Thomas' 15 points were a career high for the junior, eclipsing a 12-point outing against Wyoming when he was playing for New Mexico.

Graham has played 116 minutes in three games this season, an average of 38.7 per contest.

The game featured a total of just seven offensive rebounds, three for the Hawks and four for the Billikens. SLU won the battle of the boards, 33-32.

UP NEXT:
The Hawks continue their road trip with a game at Louisville on Tuesday, Nov. 17. Tip time is slated for 7 p.m. in the YUM! Center and the contest will be televised on ESPN3.