VCU closes with 4 players as benches clear in loss to Saint Louis

A thrilling comeback by No. 18 Saint Louis in its 88-75 win over visiting VCU on Friday night was overshadowed by a fight near the end of the game that left the Rams with only four players.

With his team up double digits, Billikens guard Quentin Jones tried to dribble out the final seconds. VCU’s Nyk Lewis stole the ball from Jones but was bumped out of bounds by Saint Louis standout Robbie Avila. That sequence led to players and staffers from both teams spilling onto the floor in a chaotic scene.

As the officials reviewed the play, players from both teams continued to chirp at one another.

Avila was whistled for a foul, and VCU’s Barry Evans and Saint Louis’ Jones were hit with flagrant 2 fouls and ejected.

VCU’s entire bench and all but two players on Saint Louis’ bench were ejected. For the final 1.1 seconds, the Billikens had six players available — five were on the court — and VCU had four.

“It was a real competitive game. Obviously, emotions run high throughout the game,” said Avila, who scored 13 points, after the game. “It got the best of us. It was a real close game. We’ve battled the last two games. There is no ill intentions between anybody. Just the emotions of the game. The competition. That’s all that was.”

With the win over second-place VCU, Saint Louis extended its lead in the race for the Atlantic 10 championship to two games over the Rams.

With 18:42 to play, the Rams led 45-35. But Josh Schertz’s squad launched a 53-30 run to seize the victory.

Avila said the ending doesn’t define Saint Louis, adding, “That’s not who we are.”