An exciting resurgence by No. 18 Saint Louis, securing an 88-75 triumph against VCU on Friday night, was regrettably eclipsed by a brawl at the game’s conclusion that left the Rams with merely four athletes.
As his team held a substantial lead in the closing moments, Billikens guard Quentin Jones attempted to exhaust the final seconds of regular play, but not before he made contact with a rival player. VCU’s Nyk Lewis then snatched possession from Jones, only to be forced out of play by key SLU figure Robbie Avila. This incident triggered players and staffers from both sides to rush onto the court, creating a tumultuous situation.
While the referees examined the play, athletes from both squads persisted in exchanging verbal jabs.
Avila was thereafter penalized for a foul, while VCU’s Barry Evans and SLU’s Jones were both assessed severe unsportsmanlike fouls and thrown out. A majority of the reserves from both teams were also dismissed after individuals charged onto the playing surface when the altercation commenced.
Consequently, the Rams were left with merely four athletes for the game’s ultimate 1.1 seconds, and the Billikens with just five.
“It was a truly contested match. Obviously, feelings escalate during the entire match,” Avila, who tallied 13 points in the rally triumph, informed journalists post-match. “It overwhelmed us. It was an extremely close match. We’ve contested the previous two games fiercely. There are no malicious motives between anybody. Just the emotions of the game. The competition. That’s all that was.”
Following this victory, SLU widened its advantage in the pursuit of the Atlantic 10 title, triumphing against second-place VCU. It was an astonishing rally.
With 18 minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the match, the Rams held a 45-35 advantage against the Billikens. However, Josh Schertz’s squad then initiated a 53-30 scoring spree for the remainder of the game to claim the triumph.
Avila stated the conclusion does not characterize SLU, further asserting, “That’s not who we are.”