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When ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ University got thumped Friday by Wichita State in Kansas City, it left a mark that will take more than one win over a team in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to wash away.

But SLU’s 81-67 win over Quinnipiac on Monday was a first step. While the Billikens shot roughly the same as they did against Wichita State, which is to say, in the first half, not very good, it kept its defense at a steady pace, holding Quinnipiac to 34.4% shooting from the field, the lowest percentage for a SLU opponent this season.

“I feel like from an identity standpoint,� said SLU guard Isaiah Swope, “we didn’t do a good job, just starting with me, of just showing our true selves vs. Wichita State. So just going out here and just showing our true identity, that was the main emphasis.�

“I know Wichita State wasn’t the best showing of us,� said forward Kalu Anya, “but I think this is who we are, and I think this is our identity that we want. We want to be a tough, physical team that plays hard, and we definitely did that.�

There’s not much time to dwell on it as SLU is back on the court Wednesday night for a game against Massachusetts Lowell at 7 p.m. at Chaifetz Arena. It completes a run of three games in six days for SLU.

“More happy with the process,� said SLU coach Josh Schertz. “Obviously, the result’s great but really pleased with how our guys competed, fought and bounced back and responded from obviously a less-than-ideal performance on Friday. This has got to become the normal. That’s our identity. We got to fight. We got to scratch, we got to claw. It’s not always going to be pretty, but we got to compete at that level, defend at that level, fight at that level and do it together to be a good team. And (Monday) was a good step in the right direction.�

Schertz said he looked at the Wichita State game a couple of times himself Saturday, then he met with players individually and looked at game clips individually and then had a two-hour team film session and a two-hour practice Sunday to get ready for Quinnipiac.

“We’re not going to win every game,â€� he said. “That’s not possible. We’ll stub our toes, we’ll hit adversity, all kinds of stuff will happen, but we’re going to fight and we’re going to compete together, and we’re going to lay it out there. And there’s going to be a level when you come play ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ of: Man, these guys are hard to play against. They’re relentless. They keep competing. Don’t always win, but they defend, they compete, they compete together on both ends of the floor. They’re really hard to play against. ... Competing and laying it out like they did (Monday), that should be the expectation for every fan.â€�

Several SLU players rose to the occasion Monday. Swope scored 30 points to match his career high, established when he was at Indiana State. Anya had 18 rebounds, setting a career high, and scored 14 points for SLU’s first double-double this season.

Kobe Johnson played just 20 minutes and scored zero points, but the team was plus-21 with him on the court, better than anyone on the team. Freshman Amari McCottry, the beneficiary of the absences of three other guards on Monday, played 16 minutes and drew good reviews from Schertz.

“Kalu was fantastic,� Schertz said. “Swope’s 30 is gonna get the headlines, but Kalu’s 18 rebounds and his defense, that was the biggest factor in winning, his ability to guard all five positions. When I left out of Kansas City, the two guys I thought really competed their brains out in that game were Kalu and Kellen (Thames). So Kalu is starting to become what he’s capable of.

“It’s good to see him out there with Robbie (Avila) too, because we just haven’t seen that much. They just haven’t had much of a chance with all the injuries to play together. I thought that looked pretty good as well. They did a nice job playing with each other and finding each other. And Kalu, I think, complements Robbie really well with the things he does. And obviously Robbie complements Kalu well with the things that he does. And that’s ultimately what we hope for when you’re putting a puzzle together as the pieces fit well together. And it seems like those two guys are going to fit well together.�

The game with UMass Lowell also turns out to be for the unofficial championship of the 314 Classic, a made-to-order multi-team event that allows everyone involved to pick up an extra game. Both teams have beaten Quinnipiac, so whoever wins on Wednesday will finish with a 2-0 record.

“It’s a career goal of mine,� said Schertz. “It’s going to go on my resume. I’m going to talk to Chris (May, SLU’s athletics director) about it. I think that championship could be big, could really, really drive heavy negotiations.�

He was not being serious.

UMass Lowell is 5-2 with two wins over Division III schools and losses to Washington (by five points) and Gonzaga (by 59).