Despite season scoring highs by Jake Forrester and Terrence Hargrove Jr., Saint Louis fell 79-67 to VCU Tuesday night in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball action at the Siegel Center.
The Billikens dip to 19-11 overall and 11-6 in league play heading into Friday’s regular-season finale against Dayton at Chaifetz Arena. VCU (23-7, 14-3 A-10) claimed the A-10 regular-season crown with its fifth consecutive victory.
Forrester earned his first start of the season as Francis Okoro missed the game due to illness. Forrester recorded a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. He had four blocked shots and a steal.
Hargrove finished with a game-high 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
Javonte Perkins (11 points) and Yuri Collins (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Billikens. Collins dished out eight assists to tie the A-10 single-season record of 294, set in the 1987-88 season by Temple’s Howard Evans.
The Billikens committed a season-high 20 turnovers, which the Rams turned into 22 points.
Two Hargrove free throws at the 13:29 mark was part of a 5-0 run that gave the Billikens their first lead of the game at 15-14.
SLU got it done on both ends of the court to end the half. The Billikens held VCU to 0-11 from the field over the final 7:24 of the first half and manufactured a 14-2 run to lead 35-31 at halftime.
The Rams didn’t stay cold for long as Ace Baldwin scored a pair of field goals early in the second half to tie the score at 35-all.
After VCU took a four-point lead at 46-42 with 13:15 left, the Billikens went on a 6-0 run on baskets by Forrester, Hughes and Pickett to lead 48-46 with 12:08 left.
VCU took the lead for good when David Shriver drained a 3-pointer with 10:31 to put the Rams on top 51-48. SLU trimmed its deficit to four with 4:01 left on a Forrester 3-point play, but that is as close as SLU would get as the Rams withstood the charging Billikens to post the 12-point win.
The Billikens host Dayton on Friday night in a 6 p.m. tip on ESPN2.
