A heated brawl at the buzzer sees nearly every bench player disqualified as VCU Rams and Saint Louis Billikens exchange shoves after Nyk Lewis’ half-court shot attempt turns chaotic.
What started as a routine blowout ended in a melee when VCU’s Nyk Lewis snagged the ball from Saint Louis’s Quentin Jones and launched a half-court heave as time expired. As Lewis released the attempt, Billikens guard Robbie Avila shoved him to the ground. That single shove sent both benches flooding toward center court, with players shoving and officials scrambling to restore order.
Although no punches landed, nearly every reserve from both sides was ejected, alongside starters Jones and VCU’s Barry Evans. Postgame, Saint Louis coach Josh Schertz downplayed the incident, joking that everyone was “trying to get held back so they don’t do anything.” Schertz stopped short of anticipating suspensions.
A Benches-Clearing Tradition?
The Friday fracas is hardly new. Exactly one year ago, Saint Louis downed the Rams 78-69 at Chaifetz Arena—only to see the game delayed when a fan brawl erupted in the stands with 1:30 remaining.
“There is a heck of a brawl going on in the stands,” CBS play-by-play man Tom McCarthy called as fans tussled. Security intervened, delaying the final horn by roughly seven minutes.
VCU coach Phil Martelli Jr. characterized Friday’s altercation as an extension of that heated rivalry: “We’ve got a lot of respect for them. I think they have some respect for us. It’s two physical teams. Stuff like that, you wish it didn’t happen, but it’s an intense game.”
Officials reviewed replays but waved off further sanctions beyond the ejections. VCU dropped its third conference game, slipping to 12-3 in A10 play, while Saint Louis improved to 13-1 and reclaimed the top seed heading into next weekend’s championship push. The two powerhouses now look ahead to a regular-season-ending rematch on March 7—with both camps vetted for potential NCAA tournament seeding.
Echoing Schertz, Phil Martelli Jr. noted the league’s thin margin: “You wish it didn’t happen, but yeah, it’s an intense game.”
Saint Louis sits atop the Atlantic 10 standings, while VCU eyes a final push for an at-large bid. The March 7 rematch in Richmond may be the last chance for either to clinch a crucial selection criterion.
Given the postseason gravity, expect.disable.preventDefault();”>The A10 office will likely issue a stern disciplinary memo, though lengthy suspensions for key figures appear remote. League precedent suggests fines and light one-game bans for non-starters.
Stay locked to onlytrustedinfo.com for the fastest, deepest play-by-play analysis on the fallout and the upcoming March 7 rematch that could reshape the NCAA bracket.
