WASHINGTON - Once you've lost a game by 41 points, as Saint Louis did to Kent State earlier this season, just about everything is going to look better by comparison.

But on Thursday night, SLU opened its Atlantic 10 season with multiple thuds. Shooting poorly in the first half and awful in the second -- or was it the other way around? -- Saint Louis was humbled by George Washington 49-20.

SLU's 20 points were the fewest scored in a Division I game since the shot clock was instituted by the NCAA in 1985-86. (The previous low was 21 points, by Georgia Southern in 1997 and Princeton in 2005.)

SLU made 14.6 percent of its shots, a school mark for lowest shooting percentage in a game.

The team combined to miss its first 18 three-point tries before Paul Eckerle made one with less than four minutes to go.

For the game, SLU (9-6, 0-1) was one for 19 on threes.

"We missed some good shots, yes," Billikens coach Rick Majerus said. "Anyone can look out there and see we don't have height, we don't have depth, we don't have a lot of experience. But we do have some other things we have to capitalize on."

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men'S HIGHLIGHTS

Badgers pull away, take down Illini

• NO. 21 WISCONSIN 70, ILLINOIS 60: Trevon Hughes scored 22 points and Brian Butch added 16 for the host Badgers. The Illini, meanwhile, fell to their first four-game losing streak under coach Bruce Weber. The Badgers took charge midway through the second half. Consecutive three-pointers from Jason Bohannon and Hughes sparked a 16-5 run over five minutes that put Wisconsin up 60-46.

• NO. 5 UCLA 69, WASHINGTON 55: Russell Westbrook scored 18 points as the Bruins shot better than 52 percent from the field in a home victory over the Huskies. UCLA (15-1, 3-0 Pac-10) got 17 points from Luc Richard Mbah a Moute in winning its eighth in a row. Jon Brockman had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Huskies (9-6, 0-2).

women's highlights

Lady Vols coast

• NO. 2 TENNESSEE 85, NO. 22 AUBURN 52: Nicky Anosike scored a career-high 20 points for the host Lady Vols in a dominating victory over the Tigers on Thursday night. Anosike and Candace Parker both achieved double-doubles: Parker scored 18 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Anosike pulled in 12 for the Lady Vols (13-1).

• NO. 4 MARYLAND 88, BOSTON COLEGE 61: Crystal Langhorne broke Len Elmore's career rebounding record, finIshing with a double-double of 18 points and 18 boards for the Terrapins (19-1, 3-0 Atlantic Coast), who cruised to their ninth consecutive victory, in Boston.

• NO. 19 OHIO STATE 71, INDIANA 59: Jantel Lavender scored 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, and the host Buckeyes beat the Hoosiers.

• PURDUE 56, MiCHIGAN 51: Lakisha Freeman had 14 points, and the host Boilermakers (7-8, 3-1 Big Ten) held on to beat the Wolverines (9-5, 2-2) Carly Benson had 17 points and eight rebounds for Michigan (9-5, 2-2).

Area women's highlights

• NORTH DAKOTA 91, ST. CLOUD STATE 58: Ashley Langen had 26 points and 16 rebounds for the top-ranked Sioux in an NCC victory in St. Cloud. Rachel Booth scored 16 points for the Huskies.

• MINNESOTA STATE MANKATO 69, MINN. DULUTH 65: Liz Trauger scored 18 points, lead the visiting Mavericks to victory.

Notes

• Drake guard Josh Young, the leading scorer in the Missouri Valley Conference with a 16.3 average, is out indefinitely because of a sprained ankle.