ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Despite five lead changes, the Billikens rallied in the second half to capture an 88-76 victory over the Thunderbirds.

"We took a tough loss, but we made strides in our learning process," head coach Todd Simon said. "We were able to rebound significantly better and win loose ball battles."

Randy Onwuasor led the Thunderbirds, pouring in 20 points, including a 9-12 shooting from the free throw line. Jacob Calloway added 19 as Ivan Madunic and James McGee posted 10 and nine, respectively.

Onwuasor led in rebounding with 13 as McGee led in assists with four. SUU shot 29.7% from the field to SLU's 46.3%. The T-Birds' bench put up 31 points.

The Thunderbirds out-rebounded the Billikens 45 to 40.

"We have to continue to focus on making key free throws and limiting our fouling," said Simon. "Unfortunately our shooting went cold and it impacted our defense at times. We will learn from our mistakes and continue to grow toward our long-term goals."

The Thunderbirds opened the game with a quick 4-3 edge before the Billikens rallied for eight straight to gain the lead. Musoko finished a dunk and a layup before McGee poured in a pair of free throws to force a one-point game with SLU leading 11-10.

SUU pulled ahead for a 23-19 lead with just under seven minutes to play in the first half before SLU battled back to knot the game at 27-27. By the halftime buzzer, SLU held a 37-32 advantage.

At the half, McGee and Marshall led the Thunderbirds with seven points each as Onwuasor led in rebounding with eight.

St. Louis held a 48-39 lead  with 14:07 to play before extending the lead to 62-52 with 8:13 to go. A 3-point Calloway play put the Thunderbirds within eight with six minutes to go before the Billikens took a short run to clench a 73-59 point lead with just over four minutes to play.

SLU hung onto its lead throughout the remainder of the game, rounding out the night with an 88-76 victory.

Southern Utah opens its home season on Friday night, hosting Bethesda at 6:30 p.m. in the Centrum Arena.