PHILADELPHIA (Interstat) — Saint Louis built a 20-point halftime lead and cruised to an 84-72 victory over La Salle in a men’s NCAA Division I basketball game Saturday at Tom Gola Arena.

The Billikens, now 15-1, led 44-24 at halftime. The Explorers, who fell to 5-12, outscored Saint Louis 48-40 after intermission but never seriously threatened. Robbie Avila led Saint Louis with 18 points. Josiah Harris scored 19 points for La Salle. Attendance was 1,045. Saint Louis was a 15.5-point favorite, and the total score went under the betting line of 151.5.