ST. LOUIS – Richmond did not see this one coming. The lesson was harsh with the game out of reach not long after the opening tip.
Jordair Jett had 21 points and a career-best 10 rebounds and No. 19 Saint Louis made quick work of the Spiders, leading by 24 points in the first half of a 77-57 rout Wednesday night.
"We're going to keep this in the back of our heads and we're going to channel this," Richmond forward Derrick Williams said after getting 10 points and 10 rebounds. "The high-level caliber of this team, guys on our team weren't really prepared for it."
Coach Chris Mooney said players were intimidated by Saint Louis' all-senior starting lineup.
"We didn't respond to the intensity and competitiveness," Mooney said. "They're a great defensive team, that's not a surprise to anybody.
"They're great at making you work on offense for everything and disrupting everything you do."
The Billikens' 13th straight victory was one of their most lopsided, too. Surprisingly so, given Richmond knocked off then-No. 12 Massachusetts last week and entered with a four-game winning streak.
The Spiders have beaten 10 Top 25 teams since 2008, but haven't done it on the road since topping No. 10 Kansas in 2004.
"This is a big-time team, as UMass is, but being on the road was a little bit of a difference," Mooney said. "The start they were able to get off to was because they have good players.
"I thought that was really impressive and daunting for us."
The point total is a season low for Richmond, one fewer than the previous worst.
Dwayne Evans added 15 points and 10 rebounds for Saint Louis (19-2, 6-0 Atlantic 10). The start is second-best in school history behind the 19-1 beginning in 1993-94.
Richmond (14-7, 4-2) shot 23 percent in the first half and guards Kendall Anthony and Cedrick Lindsay combined to make just 10 of 31 shots. Anthony, held to 14 points, is a 52 percent shooter averaging 20 points.
The Spiders finished with season-worst 31.7 percent shooting.
"Just the high-level caliber of this team, guys on our team weren't really prepared for it," Williams said. "We have to make the necessary adjustments once we got used to the physicality."
The 6-foot-1 Jett had the first double-double of his career in the last game, at Duquesne, with 10 points and 11 assists. He also had a blocked shot and a steal against Richmond.
Saint Louis put the game out of reach by taking a 42-21 halftime lead. Jett was dominant with 13 points and six rebounds.
Richmond made two of its first 11 shots and never had a chance to recover, with Anthony going 3 for 11 and Lindsay 2 for 8, and both guards throwing up ill-advised shots at times. The first-half point total was a season low, two points fewer than at Florida on Jan. 4, and the points allowed was a season worst, too.
Saint Louis has won three straight in the series.
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