Saint Louis (12-3, 1-0 A-10) plays its first road game in more than a month when it travels to Philadelphia to take on Temple (10-4, 0-1 A-10). Game time is scheduled for 5 p.m. (CT).
BILLIKEN NOTABLES
• The Billikens are riding a nine-game winning streak and enter Saturday's game with a 12-3 overall record, 1-0 in Atlantic 10 Conference play.
• This is the Billikens' first nine-game winning streak since winning 14 straight to start the 1993-94 season.
• The streak has coincided with a season-long nine-game homestand, which SLU just wrapped up with a win against UMass in the A-10 opener. The last (and only this season) road game for the Bills was Nov. 28, a 66-61 loss at Washington.
• The Bills lead the A-10 in scoring defense, yielding 55.5 ppg. SLU allowed 46 or fewer points in four straight games recently, the best defensive streak by SLU since 1949-50. The Billikens held UMass to 10 points below its average, and the 62 points tied the Minutemen's lowest scoring output of the year.
• Junior guard Mike McCall Jr. leads the Billikens in scoring with 12.0 ppg. He tops the team and is second in the A-10 in 3-point field goal percentage (.509, 29-57).
• Junior forward Dwayne Evans is second on the squad in scoring (10.6 ppg) and leads the team in rebounding (6.3 rpg).
• Senior forward Cody Ellis is third on the squad in scoring (10.5 ppg) and second in rebounding (3.9 rpg). He hits 90.9 percent from the free-throw line to rank 2nd in the A-10.
• Junior guard Jordair Jett averages 9.2 ppg and boasts a .535 (53-99) shooting clip from the field, which leads all A-10 guards.
• Senior forward Cory Remekun leads the A-10 in shooting percentage (.639) from the floor. He is also fourth in the league with 1.8 blocked shots per game.
• Senior guard Kwamain Mitchell has started the last four games after missing the first 11 games with a foot injury.
• SLU shoots 45.6 percent (334-732) from the floor, 36.6 percent (93-254) from 3-point range and 73.0 percent (1232-318) from the line.
• Next up, Saint Louis hosts Rhode Island Saturday, Jan. 19, at Chaifetz Arena at 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
• Rob Loe scored a career-high 20 points to lead four Saint Louis players in double figures, and the Billikens outscored Massachusetts 20-8 over the final 9:14 to claim a 70-62 victory Thursday night at Chaifetz Arena in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams.
• Loe tied his career high with six field goals (6-of-10), including a 2-of-4 effort from 3-point range, and also posted career highs of six free throws and seven free-throw attempts.
• Jordair Jett scored 15 points, while Mike McCall Jr. and Kwamain Mitchell tallied 10 each. Cory Remekun collected nine rebounds to power the Billikens to a 38-35 edge on the glass. Loe had a season-high seven rebounds, while Dwayne Evans and Cody Ellis grabbed six boards apiece.
• Loe, Jett, McCall Jr. and Mitchell combined to shoot 20-of-32 (.625) from the floor.
• Evans led SLU and equaled his career bests with four assists and three blocks. Jett made a game-high three steals to tie his season high.
ABOUT TEMPLE
• Temple University enters Saturday's game looking to end a two-game skid.
• The Owls dropped a 69-62 decision at No. 6 Kansas, and fell Thursday in the A-10 opener 57-52 at Xavier.
• Senior guard Khalif Wyatt leads the team with 15.4 ppg. He has made 31 consecutive free throws. Wyatt leads the Owls with 55 assists.
• Senior guard/forward Scootie Randall scores 12.5 ppg and leads the team with 7.4 rpg. He has buried a team-leading 24 treys.
• Sophomore forward Anthony Lee records 11.6 ppg and pulls down 7.1 rpg. Senior forward Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson scores 8.7 ppg, while sophomore guard Will Cummings scores 6.0 ppg and has registered a team-high 26 steals.
• The Billikens and Owls have one common opponent this year - Kansas. Temple fell 69-62 in Lawrence Jan. 6, while SLU lost 73-59 in Kansas City Nov. 20 in the CBE Hall of Fame Classic final.
• Last year, the Owls went to their fifth straight NCAA Tournament and posted a 24-8 overall record en route to an A-10 regular-season championship.
• This is the last season for the Owls in the A-10, as they begin play in the Big East next season.
• Fran Dunphy is 454-232 in 24 years as a collegiate head coach. He is 144-69 in seven years at Temple. Dunphy, who also coached at Penn, has taken 14 teams to the NCAA Tournament in his career.
SERIES
Temple leads the series 6-1. The only SLU win was when the Billikens knocked off the John Chaney-coached Owls in the first meeting in 2005. SLU has yet to win at the Liacouras Center.
