VCU closes with 4 players as benches clear in loss to Saint Louis

No. 18 Saint Louis staged an exciting comeback to secure an 88-75 victory over visiting VCU on Friday night, but the game ended in controversy due to a fight that left the Rams with just four players.

As the Billikens held a double-digit lead, guard Quentin Jones attempted to run down the clock. VCU’s Nyk Lewis stole the ball from Jones but was pushed out of bounds by standout Robbie Avila, leading to chaos as players and staff from both teams rushed the court.

While officials reviewed the incident, players from both sides continued to argue.

Avila was called for a foul, and both VCU’s Barry Evans and Saint Louis’ Jones were assessed flagrant 2 fouls, resulting in ejections.

Almost the entire VCU bench and all but two Saint Louis players were also ejected. For the last 1.1 seconds, the Billikens had six players available—five on the court—and VCU had four.

“It was a very competitive game. Emotions were high throughout,” said Avila, who scored 13 points post-game. “It got the best of us in the end. We’ve fought hard the last two games, and there are no bad intentions. Just the emotions of the competition, that’s all.”

With this win over second-place VCU, Saint Louis now holds a two-game lead in the Atlantic 10 championship race.

After trailing 45-35 with 18:42 left, Josh Schertz’s team surged with a 53-30 run to claim victory.

Avila emphasized that the game’s ending doesn’t reflect the team’s character, stating, “That’s not who we are.”