Score: VCU 78, Saint Louis 62
Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 13-4 (3-1 Atlantic 10), Saint Louis 10-7 (3-1)
Attendance: 7,637 (Sellout)
 
The short story: Graduate guard Joe Bamisile's 23 points helped lead VCU to a dominating 16-point win over Saint Louis, moving the Rams into a first-place tie atop the Atlantic 10 Conference.
 
OPENING TIP

• Bamisile shot 8-of-17 from the field and 4-of-9 from beyond the arc. Seventeen of Bamisile's 23 points came in the first half
• Freshman Brandon Jennings knocked down two 3-pointers en route to a career-high 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the field. Jennings also secured a team-high six rebounds
• Graduate guard Max Shulga assisted on nine buckets for the Rams, one short of his career high. Shulga also scored 11 points and grabbed three rebounds
• Graduate forward Jack Clark scored 12 points on 5-for-9 shooting as well as 2-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc. The game marks Clark's sixth time in double figures this season

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU outrebounded Saint Louis 38-26, including 22-4 on the offensive glass. The Rams outscored the Billikens 19-7 in second-chance opportunities
• The Black and Gold also forced the Billikens into a season-high 19 turnovers and scored 27 points off those miscues
• VCU held Saint Louis to 32 percent (6-of-19) shooting and a season-low 20 in the second half. The Billikens misfired on eight of nine second-half 3-point attempts
• The Rams held guard Gibson Jimerson, the Atlantic 10 Conference's leading scorer, to 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Jimerson is also the A-10's all-time leader 3-pointers

• The Black and Gold outscored the Billikens 38-16 in the paint
• VCU went on a 10-0 run from over a three-minute stretch midway through the second half that consisted of two Jennings made 3-pointers and a Bamisile breakaway dunk to expand its lead to 66-51
• The Rams forced Saint Louis guard Isaiah Swope into a season-high eight turnovers Swope came into the contest only averaging 2.5 turnovers per game.
• The Rams owned a 26-2 advantage in bench scoring, with guard Michael Belle contributing with six points and forward Christian Fermin notching eight

NOTABLE

• The Rams led for 38:18 of the contest
• VCU has won six straight in the series and improved to 17-5 all-time against the Billikens. The Black and Gold are a perfect 10-0 at the Siegel Center against Saint Louis

NEXT UP
VCU will travel to Philadelphia, Pa. to take on Saint Joseph's on Friday, Jan. 17 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.