Score: VCU 95, Saint Louis 85
Location: St. Louis, Mo. (Chaifetz Arena)
Records: VCU 17-8 (9-3 Atlantic 10), Saint Louis 9-16 (2-10)
 
The short story: Senior guard Joe Bamisile poured in 27 points and classmate Max Shulga buried a pair of clutch 3-pointers down the stretch as VCU defeated Saint Louis Friday night at Chaifetz Arena.
 
OPENING TIP

• Bamisile knocked down 7-of-13 attempts from the field, including 5-of-9 from the 3-point arc
• Shulga provided 26 points, 16 of them in the second half alone. He connected on 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and converted 10-of-11 from the free throw line. Shulga added six rebounds and three assists
• Graduate forward Sean Bairstow chipped in 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Rams
• Sincere Parker led all scorers with 30 points for the Billikens

THE DIFFERENCE

• While the Rams led for 31 minutes, Saint Louis pieced together a number of second-half rallies. The Billikens pulled within 85-80 with 2:50 remaining, but Shulga canned a step-back 3-pointer from the wing with 2:14 left to give VCU an eight-point margin. On the Rams' ensuing possession, Shulga connected again from deep to supply the Rams with a 91-82 advantage with less than a minute to play. Shulga added four free throws in the waning moments to cement the VCU victory
• The Black and Gold owned a 39-24 rebounding advantage, including 14-8 on the offensive glass. VCU turned those offensive rebounds into 19 second-chance points
• VCU shot 49 percent (29-of-57) from the field in the game, including 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half
• The Rams hit 27-of-31 free throws in the contest
• Bamisile helped stake VCU to a 42-35 halftime lead with 16 points in the opening period

NOTABLE

• Bamisile has scored 56 points and has hit 12 three-pointers in two games against Saint Louis this season
• VCU's 95 points are its most since it beat North Carolina A&T 95-69 on Dec. 9, 2020
• Sophomore forward Tobi Lawal added five points and 10 rebounds off the bench for VCU
• VCU's bench outscored Saint Louis' 35-11
• The Rams improved to 16-5 all-time against Saint Louis and have won five straight in the series

NEXT UP
VCU will complete its two-game road swing on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at UMass at 7 p.m. That contest will air on CBS Sports Network.