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ST. LOUIS - Brandon Rozzell scored a game-high 27 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead Virginia Commonwealth to a 71-65 victory over Saint Louis Wednesday night at Chaifetz Arena. The win gave the Rams a 2-0 sweep of the Billikens in the College Basketball Invitational best-of-three championship series.
Willie Reed scored 16 points (7-of-11 FG) to lead Saint Louis, which finished the season with a 23-13 record. Christian Salecich tallied 13 points apiece, and Remekun tied for game-high honors with seven rebounds, including six offensive caroms. Reed added six rebounds and three blocks, while Kwamain Mitchell and Kyle Cassity distributed four assists apiece.
Rozzell's 27 markers came on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 7-of-8 from the foul line. He also grabbed six rebounds. Jamie Skeen had 16 points (7-of-10 FG) and six rebounds, Joey Rodriguez scored 13 points and Bradford Burgess secured seven rebounds.
In outscoring the Billikens 47-32 in the second half, the Rams shot 56.7 percent (17-of-30) following intermission to finish the game at 52.9 percent (27-of-51). Saint Louis managed just 37.9 percent (11-of-29) in the second half and 40 percent (24-of-60) for the game. The Bills shot a dismal 11.1 percent (2-of-18) from 3-point distance.
Saint Louis jumped to a 9-0 lead by scoring on four of its first five possessions. Cody Ellis sank an 18-foot jumper, followed by Reed's short shot off the glass. The Bills' next two buckets followed offensive rebounds, with Remekun gathering a miss and putting it back and Mitchell nailing a 3-pointer.
VCU finally scored on its sixth touch of the game on a Rodriguez layup, followed by Skeen's layup. Reed made the back end of a two-shot foul for a 10-4 Saint Louis lead, and Rozzell cut the margin in half with a trey from the right wing.
The Billiken advantage alternated between three and five points before a 9-0 Virginia Commonwealth spurt gave the Rams a 20-16 lead with 11:02 remaining. However, VCU would score just four more points the rest of the half, converting on just two of its final 16 possessions, while Saint Louis took firm command.
A jumper from just inside the arc by Salecich ended SLU's scoring drought, and Remekun's layup tied it at 20. Remekun was fouled on the play, and VCU was whistled for a technical foul before the free throw was administered. Salecich made both charity tosses, and Remekun completed his 3-point play and a five-point Billiken possession. Remekun's offensive board and put-back gave the Bills a 25-20 lead.
Rozzell's layup momentarily slowed the Bills' momentum before Salecich drove for a layup and netted two free throws on consecutive possessions, and Reed followed moments later with a lay-in to put SLU on top 31-22. Skeen spun in the lane for a short jumper, but Reed received a crisp feed from Mitchell and dunked for a 33-24 Billiken lead at the break.
Virginia Commonwealth shot 47.6 percent (10-of-21) to SLU's 41.9 percent (13-of-31) in the first half, but the Billikens made up the difference in second-chance points. Saint Louis' 19-13 edge on the glass included eight offensive rebounds that the Bills turned into 10 points, while VCU was held scoreless in the second-chance category.
After the Rams began the second stanza with a 5-0 run to slice the Saint Louis margin to 33-29, Mitchell restored order with a drive down the lane for a layup followed by a fast-break layup. Rodriguez nailed a long 2-pointer, but Reed's old-fashioned 3-point play restored the Bills' nine-point halftime cushion, 40-31.
VCU then turned the tables. Terrance Saintil grabbed a miss and scored, and two consecutive SLU turnovers resulted in a Rozzell trey and a Larry Sanders dunk that made it a 40-38 game. Darrin Young scored his first points as a Billiken with a pair of free throws, and Rozzell answered with a driving layup. Young responded two possessions later by driving the baseline for a layup and a foul, and his free throw put SLU in front 45-40.
VCU tallied eight of the next 11 points, including six from Rozzell to knot the score at 48. Salecich connected on a 3-pointer from the right wing to give SLU the lead again, and a bucket by Darius Theus made it a one-point game. Brian Conklin sank two free throws, then Rozzell and Mitchell traded baskets before VCU edged in front, 56-55, on Skeen's free throw and a Rodriguez trifecta that just beat the shot clock.
Remeken gathered a Salecich miss and put it back for a 57-56 Saint Louis lead, and VCU went back on top on Rodriguez's driving layup. Reed's one-handed dunk on an offensive rebound made it 59-58 Bills, but VCU grabbed the lead again on a Skeen layup. Two Saint Louis free throws and a VCU freebie resulted in a 61-all tie.
After both teams failed to score, the Rams took a 63-61 lead on Skeen floater that banked high off the glass. Virginia Commonwealth then forced a shot-clock violation, and Skeen put the Rams ahead 65-61 with a layup off a perfect high-low entry feed. The Billikens misfired on their next two possessions, and VCU sank six of eight free throws in the waning moments to clinch the victory.
