Saint Louis basketball stunned by Rhode Island

Billikens suffer first Atlantic-10 loss of the season

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

The Saint Louis basketball team, ranked No. 18 nationally, suffered a surprising 81-76 loss to unranked Rhode Island on Tuesday night. The Billikens had not lost since Black Friday, but were unable to stop Rhode Island guard Jonah Hinton, who scored 29 points and hit 9 three-pointers to lead the Rams to the upset victory.

Why it matters

This loss will likely cause Saint Louis to drop significantly in the national rankings, and it comes at a bad time with the Billikens facing a tough remaining schedule in the Atlantic-10 conference. The defeat raises questions about Saint Louis' ability to maintain its strong start to the season.

The details

Saint Louis entered the game 24-1 overall and 12-0 in Atlantic-10 play, while Rhode Island was just 111th in the KenPom rankings and had recently lost to Fordham at home. However, the Rams shot 41% from three-point range and forced 18 Billiken turnovers that led to 28 points. Saint Louis stars Robbie Avila and Dion Brown combined for 40 points, but it wasn't enough to overcome Hinton's big night for Rhode Island.

  • The game was played on Tuesday, February 18, 2026.

The players

Jonah Hinton

A guard for Rhode Island who scored 29 points and hit 9 three-pointers to lead the Rams to the upset victory.

Robbie Avila

A star player for Saint Louis who scored 20 points in the loss.

Dion Brown

Another key player for Saint Louis who scored 20 points and had 5 steals in the game.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What’s next

Saint Louis will look to bounce back on Friday night when they host VCU, who is also 12-2 in Atlantic-10 play. The winner of that game will take sole possession of first place in the conference.

The takeaway

This upset loss for Saint Louis serves as a wake-up call, showing that even the highest-ranked teams can be vulnerable on any given night in the competitive Atlantic-10 conference. The Billikens will need to regroup quickly to avoid letting this defeat derail their strong season.