Defense Takes the Night Off; Rams 95, Billikens 85

Final Score: VCU 95, St. Louis 85
Location: Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis. 
Current Records: VCU 17-8, 9-3 in A-10. St. Louis 9-16, 2-10 in A-10.

In the Nutshell: VCU seized control early and led for 31 of the contest's 40 minutes. The Rams' whopping 39-24 rebounding advantage was a key to their victory. 

VCU's noteworthy confidence shooting from the charity stripe continued, as the Rams sank 87 percent of their shots (27 good on 31 attempts).  

On the Rams side of the stat sheet, consistent Max Shulga provided 26 points. Shulga added six rebounds and three assists. Zeb Jackson scored nine points, pulled down two rebounds and dished for three assists. Kuany Kuany added seven points and three boards. Coming off the bench, Joe Bamisile scored 27 points and grabbed three boards; he sank five treys on nine attempts. 

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

• Shulga buried a pair of clutch 3-pointers down the stretch. Overall, he connected on 4-of-8 from beyond the arc and converted 10-of-11 from the free throw line. 
• Bamisile knocked down 7-of-13 attempts from the field, including 5-of-9 from the 3-point arc.  
• Sean Bairstow chipped in 14 points, six rebounds and five assists for the Rams. Tobi Lawal added five points, 10 rebounds, two steals and one impressive block.
• Sincere Parker led all scorers with 30 points for the Billikens. 
• 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 lead with less than a minute to play. Shulga added four free throws in the waning moments to cement the VCU victory.
• In rebounding, VCU had a 14-8 advantage on the offensive glass. The Rams converted those offensive boards into 19 second-chance points.
• VCU shot 49 percent (29-of-57) from the field, including 56 percent (14-of-25) in the second half. The Rams made good on 27-of-31 free throws in the contest. 
• VCU’s 95 points are its most since it beat North Carolina A&T 95-69 on Dec. 9, 2020. 
• The Rams bench outscored Saint Louis’ bench, 35-11. 
• In two games against Saint Louis this season, Bamisile has burned the Billikens for 56 points. 
• VCU improved to a 16-5 all-time record against Saint Louis and has won five straight games in the series. 

BOX SCORE

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