Score: Saint Louis 80, VCU 62
Location: St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
Records: VCU 17-10 (7-7 Atlantic 10), Saint Louis 19-8 (8-6)

The short story: Junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva supplied 11 points and six rebounds for VCU, but the Rams couldn't slow hot-shooting Saint Louis Friday night at Chaifetz Arena.

OPENING TIP

• Santos-Silva connected on 5-of-6 attempts from the floor. He also blocked three shots for VCU
• Senior guard De'Riante Jenkins kicked in 10 points and five rebounds for the Black & Gold, while freshman forward Jarren McAllister added seven points off the bench
• Javonte Perkins hit his first eight attempts from the floor and led all scorers with 25 points and seven rebounds for Saint Louis. Hasahn French also provided 18 points, seven boards and two blocks

THE DIFFERENCE

• The Billikens shot 58 percent (18-of-31) from the floor in the first half on the way to a 41-27 lead and finished at 57 percent (32-of-56) for the game
• Saint Louis owned a 41-26 advantage on the glass. VCU shot 40 percent (20-of-50) from the field in the game
• VCU took a 22-19 lead on a deep 3-pointer from the right wing by freshman guard Bones Hyland with 7:58 remaining in the first half. Saint Louis, sparked by eight points by Terrance Hargrove Jr., promptly embarked on a 17-0 run over the next six minutes to take a 36-22 lead. The Billikens never looked back

NOTABLE

• Twelve Rams scored in the game
• VCU hit 5-of-10 from beyond the 3-point arc to start the game, but were just 2-of-15 from long range the rest of the way

NEXT UP
VCU will return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 26 when the Rams travel to face UMass in Amherst, Mass. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. on MASN.