RICHMOND, Va. – Jamesia Price scored a career- and game-high 24 points, and Saint Louis rode a 33-of-38 performance at the free throw line to defeat VCU 65-58 in an Atlantic 10 Conference Championship second-round game Thursday at Richmond Coliseum.
The ninth-seeded Billikens (15-15) advance to Friday's quarterfinal round where they will face top-seeded George Washington (26-3) at 10 a.m. (CT). Saint Louis handed the nationally ranked Colonials their only A-10 loss, 79-61, Feb. 11 in St. Louis.
The SLU-GW game will be televised on American Sports Network; a list of affiliates carrying the game is included in the Related Links box. Free live video and audio streams, as well as free live stats, also are offered for Friday's game. Check the home page of www.SLUBillikens.com for those links.
Price's 24 points included a 15-of-17 performance at the foul line, her career highs for free throws made and attempted. She added six rebounds, four assists and two steals and committed just one turnover.
Sadie Stipanovich posted her seventh double-double of the season, scoring 16 points (10-of-11 free throws) and grabbing a game-high 12 rebounds (game-high five offensive boards). Stipanovich matched her career best with three steals, also a game high.
Jackie Kemph tossed in 13 points, including three 3-pointers, and registered a game-high six assists with only two turnovers. Jenny Vliet tossed in eight points and grabbed nine rebounds, while Olivia Jakubicek grabbed seven rebounds (four offensive).
Saint Louis topped VCU 46-38 on the glass, including a season-high-tying 16 offensive rebounds. The Billikens limited the Rams, who came in averaging more than 15 offensive boards, to nine.
In addition, the Bills committed just 10 turnovers – their second-lowest total against an A-10 opponent this season – and earned a 15-7 advantage in points off turnovers.
Isis Thorpe had 23 points and eight rebounds for VCU (16-14). Adaeze Alaeze contributed 14 points and 10 rebounds.
There were four lead changes and three ties in the first half. Saint Louis took the lead for good, 14-13, on two Stipanovich free throws with 8:20 left, part of a 13-4 run that gave the Billikens their largest first-half lead, 24-16, at the 1:14 mark. Five late VCU points closed the gap to 24-21 at intermission.
SLU led by 10 points on three occasions in the second half, the last time a 46-36 advantage with 6:07 remaining. Three-pointers on consecutive possessions put VCU to within four, 46-42, with 5:21 left.
Vliet sank two from the line and Price recorded a three-point play to put the Billikens in front 51-43 with 4:20 to play. A 6-0 VCU spurt made it a one-possession game, 51-49, with 3:04 remaining.
Stipanovich's layup and two Price free throws gave Saint Louis some breathing room, and Vliet's trey increased the lead to 58-51 at the 1:50 mark. But Thorpe answered with her fifth 3-pointer, and two free throws cut the Billiken lead to 58-56 with 1:01 left.
However, that was as close as the Rams would get. The Billikens forced two turnovers, and Price made six consecutive free throws down the stretch to send Saint Louis to the quarterfinals.
