Saint Louis wins the Atlantic 10 Tournament, Beats VCU 62-56

Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports

The Saint Louis Billikens won their second conference tournament in school history on Sunday afternoon, defeating VCU 62-56 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.

Saint Louis controlled the game from the outset, starting the game on an 11-2 run and amassing an eight-point halftime lead on the back of Kwamain Mitchell’s 12 first half points. Mitchell finished the game with 19 points, shooting 3 of 4 from three-point range, while leading the Billikens with three steals on the defensive end.

Swingman Dwayne Evans chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds for SLU, while Kiwi center Rob Loe tallied eight boards of his own.

While the Billikens had one of their better rebounding performances of late, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams still won the battle on the glass, out-rebounding SLU 32-30. Leading the way for VCU was sophomore guard Treveon Graham, who scored 20 points for the seventh time this season, while picking up his fifth double-double of the year with his 12 rebounds.

VCU caught fire late, going on a 10-1 run midway though the second half to cut Saint Louis’s lead to just one point, but that was the closest they would get. With the Rams down four, Rob Brandenberg fouled out with 23 seconds left in the game, and Jordair Jett sealed the deal for the Billikens at the free throw line.

With the win, Saint Louis finishes the season at 27-6, and can take their first Atlantic-10 title back to the Gateway City, along with what could be the best team in school history.