Saint Louis (13-8, 6-2 Atlantic 10) earned a much-needed 78-69 victory over VCU (16-5, 6-2 Atlantic 10) on Tuesday night, avenging a 78-62 loss to the Rams in Richmond two weeks ago.
Neither team found an offensive rhythm in the first half. Saint Louis jumped out to an early 8-4 lead with 3-pointers from Gibson Jimerson and Kobe Johnson but struggled the rest of the half, shooting just 22% from beyond the arc on nine attempts.
Both teams endured prolonged scoring droughts, and VCU took a 31-28 lead into halftime.
The defensive intensity that caused both teams not to shoot it well from behind the arc or at the mid-range carried into the second half. Aside from 3-pointers from Jimerson and St. Louis native and VCU guard Phillip Russell, most scoring came in the paint or at the free-throw line.
Fueled by their tenacity on both ends, the Billikens took a 45-42 lead into the second media timeout of the half.
Down the stretch, SLU’s offense began to click. Jimerson’s clutch 3-point basket sent Chaifetz Arena into a frenzy and put the Billikens ahead 60-53 with 4:55 remaining, prompting VCU coach Ryan Odom to call a timeout.
The final minutes dragged after a nearly 10-minute delay due to a fight in the stands. But after converting their free throws, the Billikens closed out the 78-69 win over their A-10 rival.
Jimerson led SLU with 21 points, while Russell and Zeb Jackson each scored 15 for VCU.
The Billikens return home to face Dayton at 7 p.m. ET Friday on ESPN2.
Meanwhile, the Rams — currently projected as an 11-seed in ESPN’s Bracketology — will host in-state rival Richmond at 4 p.m. ET Saturday on CBSSN.
