ST. LOUIS (AP) - Brian Conklin scored 23 points and Kwamain Mitchell 14 as St. Louis defeated Xavier 70-59 on Tuesday night.

Mike McCall Jr. had 10 points and seven rebounds for the Billikens (23-6, 11-4 Atlantic 10), who moved a half-game behind first-place Temple in the league standings. The Owls, however, hold the tiebreaker, a 72-67 victory against St. Louis in January.

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The Billikens clinched a top-four seed and bye in next week's Atlantic 10 tournament.

Mark Lyons scored 19 points and Dezmine Wells added 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Musketeers (18-11, 9-6), who are tied for fourth with Saint Joseph's.

Xavier led 39-29 at halftime but shot just 28 percent (7 for 25) afterward. That helped St. Louis take control with a 24-2 run over an 8:34 second-half stretch.

Conklin had 11 points and McCall hit two 3-pointers during the surge, which gave the Billikens a 53-42 lead with 9:44 remaining. The Musketeers got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.