Gibson Jimerson scored a season-high 24 points, but VCU assembled a 12-2 run in the final minutes and defeated Saint Louis 73-65 Friday night in front of 9,230 fans at Chaifetz Arena.
Jimerson was 5-of-9 from beyond the arc, matching his season high for 3-point field goals. He added five rebounds to tie Francis Okoro and Sincere Parker for the team lead.
Jake Forrester (6-of-7 FG) and Javonte Perkins (3-of-6 3-pointers) tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively. Yuri Collins registered 11 assists for his 13th double-digit total of the season while equaling his season high of three steals.
Ace Baldwin Jr. led VCU with a career-high 37 points.
The game featured 16 lead changes, 11 ties and several scoring runs.
After a 9-0 Saint Louis spurt turned an 11-9 deficit into an 18-11 Billiken lead, VCU used a 16-3 flurry to go on top 27-21.
Three-point baskets by Perkins and Jimerson on consecutive possessions sparked a 10-0 run that gave SLU a 31-27 advantage. VCU answered with the final seven points of the half and took a 34-31 edge to the locker room.
In the second half, neither team led by more than three points until a Baldwin jumper put the Rams in front 61-56 at the 5-minute mark. Collins drove for a bucket to narrow the margin to three points, but VCU scored on four of its next five possessions to build a double-digit cushion with just under a minute remaining.
The Billikens host Rhode Island Tuesday, Feb. 7, at 8 p.m.
