Remekun Helps Saint Louis Beat No. 20 New Mexico

(AP) ST. LOUIS
Cory Remekun took advantage of a rare opportunity Monday night.

Remekun, known mostly for his defensive prowess, scored a career-high 15 points and Cody Ellis added 13 to lead Saint Louis to a 60-46 win over No. 20 New Mexico in nonconference play.

Mike McCall Jr. chipped in with 12 points for Saint Louis (10-3), which won its seventh in a row _ its longest streak since winning eight straight from Feb. 12-March 13, 2003 _ and moved to 10-1 at home.

Kendall Williams led New Mexico (13-2) with 15 points. Alex Kirk added 13 points and eight rebounds.

New Mexico coach Steve Alford was ejected for the first time in his 22-year coaching career after receiving back-to-back technical fouls with 9:26 remaining.

Remekun, who came in averaging 6.2 points, provided a much-needed offensive boost. He scored 10 points in the first 18:22 and played key roles in early runs of 12-0 and 11-2 that staked the Billikens to a 33-13 lead at the break.

Saint Louis interim coach Jim Crews enjoyed seeing the hard-working Remekun do some damage on the offensive end for a change.

Remekun converted off a pass from Jordair Jett to push the lead to 20-10 midway through the half. He then added a pair of baskets from close range before scoring off an offensive rebound to close out the first-half scoring.

Saint Louis, which scored 30 points off turnovers, used a lock-down defensive effort to roll out to a 31-12 lead.

New Mexico did not have a field goal over the final 6:57 of the opening half. The Lobos missed 9 of their first 12 shots. Their first-half total of 13 points was their lowest since March 18, 2005 when they trailed Villanova 34-11 at the break in the NCAA tournament.

The Lobos, who committed a season-high 21 turnovers, turned the ball over 15 times on their first 28 possessions.

Alford was surprised that his team came out so flat after an impressive 55-54 win at then-No.8 Cincinnati on Thursday.

New Mexico managed to make a run in the second half. The Lobos pulled to 38-29 on a jumper by Williams with 13:29 left, but the Billikens responded with a 14-2 run to regain control.

The Lobos beat Saint Louis 64-60 in a New Year’s Eve meeting last season in Albuquerque.

The Billikens, who trailed 3-0, had led from start to finish in their previous three contests. The have won their last five games by a combined 101 points.

Saint Louis held a 32-16 advantage in the paint.