ST. LOUIS (AP) — Robbie Avila scored a season-high 22 points and hit a tiebreaking 3-pointer with 3 seconds left to lift No. 21 Saint Louis to a 79-76 victory over George Washington on Tuesday night.
Trey Green matched career bests with 23 points and six 3-pointers for the Billikens (20-1, 8-0 Atlantic 10), who won their 14th straight game and are off to the best 21-game start in school history.
Tyrone Marshall and Christian Jones each scored 15 points,
and Rafael Castro had 12 points, 18 rebounds, four blocks and three steals for George Washington (13-8, 4-4). The Revolutionaries were seeking their first road win against a Top 25 team in 24 tries, dating to an upset of top-ranked Massachusetts in 1996.
Marshall and Johnson missed chances under the basket in the final minute, and the Billikens called timeout with 17.3 seconds left to set up Avila's game-winner. Avila then stole a long inbounds pass and launched the ball toward the Chaifetz Arena rafters to seal the victory.
The Billikens, who hadn't trailed by more than nine through their first 20 games, rallied from a 15-point first-half deficit and charged into the lead with 15 consecutive points midway through the second half. Green's sixth 3-pointer of the game put Saint Louis ahead for the first time since the opening basket, and Avila followed with his own 3 and a banked-in jumper to make it 70-63.
The Revolutionaries scored nine of the next 10 points to regain the lead and set up a back-and-forth finish.
George Washington surged out to a quick 14-5 lead before allowing the Billikens to chip away and eventually tie it at 21 on Avila's 3-pointer.
The Revolutionaries quickly responded, and Jones punctuated an 11-0 run with a steal and a right-handed jam. The lead reached as many as 15 points at 41-26 after Trey Autry's four-point play.
Quentin Jones banked in a half-court shot at the buzzer to get Saint Louis within 43-33 at halftime.
George Washington: Host Fordham on Saturday.
Saint Louis: Hosts Dayton on Friday night.
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