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Myron Medcalf
Multiple Authors
The Atlantic 10 has decided not to suspend any players involved in a fight that marred the conclusion of Saint Louis’ comeback victory against VCU on Friday, resulting in the Rams finishing the game with just four players, as announced by the league.
but, the league did impose reprimands and fines.
In the closing moments of the Billikens’ 88-75 victory, both benches erupted after players shoved each other. Every bench player from VCU was ejected, and nearly all but two players from Saint Louis’ bench also faced ejection, leaving VCU with only four remaining players and Saint Louis with six.
“The Atlantic 10 has reprimanded both Saint Louis and VCU for breaching sportsmanship policies outlined in the A-10 Code of Conduct during the incident following the Friday night game,” the league stated on Saturday. “also, both programs will face fines per conference policy. No conference-issued suspensions will occur, as officials managed the situation effectively per game rules. This incident was an unfortunate conclusion to an excellent college basketball matchup between two of the top teams in the nation. The A-10 considers the matter closed and looks forward to the ongoing regular season and the Atlantic 10 Championship in Pittsburgh this March.”
As his team held a double-digit lead in the waning seconds, Saint Louis guard Quentin Jones attempted to hold the ball until the buzzer but inadvertently bumped into an opponent. VCU’s Nyk Lewis seized the opportunity to steal the ball, leading to Saint Louis superstar Robbie Avila pushing Lewis out of bounds. This led to players and staff from both sides rushing onto the court in a frenzied altercation.
While officials reviewed the situation, players continued to exchange words.
Avila received a foul call that resulted in VCU earning three free throws. VCU’s Barry Evans and SLU’s Jones were both penalized with flagrant 2 fouls and ejected. The majority of SLU’s bench players, along with all of VCU’s bench players, were also ejected, leaving the Rams significantly shorthanded for the conclusion of the game.
“It was an intensely competitive game. Emotions naturally intensified during play,” Avila, who contributed 13 points to the win, told reporters afterward. “Things got out of hand. It was a close contest. We’ve shown resilience in the last couple of games. There’s no animosity; it was just the competitive spirit of the game.”
With this victory, Saint Louis bolstered its lead in the quest for the Atlantic 10 title, edging out the second-place Rams in an extraordinary comeback.
At one point during the game, with 18:42 left on the clock, VCU held a 45-35 lead over the Billikens. but, Coach Josh Schertz’s team mounted a remarkable 53-30 run for the remainder of the game, clinching the victory.
The conclusion of the game was chaotic, but Avila remarked, “That’s not reflective of our true character.”
