VCU defeats St. Louis in competitive match-up, 85-61

Bersabeh Kemaw, Staff Writer

Alexis Washington, Contributing Writer

VCU men’s basketball took down Atlantic-10 opponent St. Louis 85-61 on Friday, Jan 19, continuing their three-game winning streak.

The black and gold came onto the court with high intensity in the first half, setting the tone for the whole game.

St. Louis did have possession at the start of the game, but early foul trouble put the ball in VCU’s possession, with sophomore guard Jason Nelson putting up the first points on the board with a free throw, according to Statbroadcast.

Although both teams went to score back-and-forth after, VCU sophomores center Christian Fermin and forward Toibu “Tobi” Lawal kept up defensively for the Rams by guarding the rim and securing rebounds. 

“Both of those guys did a really nice job at the rim protecting our basket,” head coach Ryan Odom said. 

The high-level defense allowed the offense to maintain a steady lead in the first half. 

Due to the absence of captain and key scorer senior guard Zeb Jackson, the team had to step up. 

“I think they did a really nice job,” Odom said. “JayNel stepped right in, didn’t have a second thought about that, he’s been big for us this year.”

The Rams had their largest run of the game,7-0, at the start with back-to-back buckets by Nelson, senior guard Max Shulga and Lawal.

St. Louis responded offensively, going on a 5-0 run by a three-point jumper, posting near the rim and getting their offensive rebounds, cutting the score to 16-15.  

VCU got back on defense and pressured St. Louis which resulted in three back-to-back missed shots, according to Statbroadcast. 

The Rams worked together to put shots up from anywhere on the court.

Odom said the players did an overall good job sharing the ball with 15 assists and 20 points off the bench, making this a team effort. 

With 25-20 on the scoreboard and five minutes left on the clock before halftime, the Rams had everyone on their feet chanting and roaring in the Siegel Center. 

The players fed off the energy from the band and fans, which helped their performance. 

“I’ve been to a bunch of schools and I’ve never been to a school with a band like that,” senior guard Joe Bamisile said. “I think it’s super cool to see how invested musically a basketball game can be.”

The high intensity began again when Bamisile made a dunk on a fast-break turnover by St. Louis with the help of Lawal.

Bamisile then had back-to-back points with a driving layup to follow. 

Shulga hit a three-point jumper with five seconds on the shot clock, which put the team up by 10 points. 

VCU held the other team from scoring by a block from Lawal to close out the first half, 36-26. 

“What was bigger was the defensive play at the end of the first half,” Shulga said. “Tobi, on the other hand, gave us so much energy going into the locker room and carried over to the second half.”

The Rams kept their momentum alive coming into the second half putting up the first points, again, with a dunk by graduate forward Kuany Kuany. 

VCU had many turnovers in the second half. However, they still maintained their rhythm and balance, which showed throughout the game.   

With 10 minutes left on the clock, the Rams went on another 7-0 run, with free throws by Shulga and graduate guard Sean Bairstow and a three-point shot from Bamisile.

Fouls were called on both teams throughout the second half, resulting in many free throws for both.

VCU was shooting 80% from the free throw line, while St. Louis was shooting 94.4%, according to Statbroadcast.   

With seven minutes left in the game, the Rams went on a 6-0 run starting with a fast break turnover dunk by Bairstow and a three-point jumper by Bamisile to follow. 

St. Louis answered with a jumper, but the black and gold shut down their response with Bamisile scoring another three-point shot, according to Statbroadcast.

As the final minutes on the clock winded down, VCU kept their lead, finishing with an 85-61 victory and a 24-point lead.

Bamisile finished the game as the lead scorer with a career-high 29 points, despite all of the things he’s faced to be able to play this season, such as him not being able to play at the beginning of the season after his waiver for eligibility was rejected.     

“I serve a really good God,” Bamisile said. “God always puts you in a position where you’re gonna look back and be able to thank Him for the journey you had to go through to get to where you’re at.”

Bairstow, Shulga and Nelson also finished the game in double digits.

The team’s performance on the court was a result of their hard work in practice, according to Odom.

The team has a saying that’s in the Basketball Development center, “work you do in the dark will reveal itself in the light,”Odom said. 

The VCU Rams will play against the Davidson College Wildcats at the Belk Arena on Jan. 27 at 8 p.m.