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RICHMOND, Va. – Saint Louis dropped its first Atlantic 10 Conference game of the season on Tuesday night, falling at VCU 78-62 at the Siegel Center.
SLU is now 10-7 overall and 3-1 in league play, while VCU improves to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the A-10.
Robbie Avila and Isaiah Swope led the way for Saint Louis with 18 points apiece. Avila added a team-best eight rebounds. Gibson Jimerson contributed 11 points for the Billikens.
VCU out-rebounded the Bills 38-26, which included a 22-4 edge on the offensive glass. The Rams turned those 22 offensive boards into 19 second-chance points. VCU took 72 shots compared to the Billikens’ 37.
The Billikens withstood several double-digit deficits in the first half to trail by just five at halftime, 47-42. A 3-pointer by Avila at the first-half buzzer gave him a team-leading 16 points at the break.
Jimerson’s lay-in opened the scoring in the second half to bring SLU within a possession of the lead, but it would get no closer. VCU utilized a 10-0 run midway through the second half to break the game open, and they cruised to the 16-point win.
The Billikens are back in action on Saturday afternoon, facing the Richmond Spiders at the Robins Center in Richmond. Game time on USA Network is 1:30 p.m (CT).
