VCU plays its best game of the season to knock off first-place Saint Louis

VCU's Joe Bamisile returns to the court after diving into the crowd to corral a loose ball. (Caden Burch for The Richmonder)

Atlantic 10 conference play is already shaping up to be a bruising battle, with each team in the conference sporting a loss after four games.

But after defeating Saint Louis 78-62 on Tuesday night, Rams guard Joe Bamisile had a message for the rest of the league.

"We've got to play against the other teams," he said. "But those teams have to play against us."

The version of VCU that took the court Tuesday night will be favored in many of those games. The Billikens entered the game in first place in the conference, but the Rams wrestled that title away as they moved to 13-4 overall, 3-1 in conference play.

VCU's Joe Bamisile dunks over Saint Louis center Robbie Avila. (Caden Burch for The Richmonder)

The Rams are finally getting the lift they hoped for from transfer guard Jack Clark, who struggled with his 3-point shooting early in the year, but has settled into a groove contributing with inside baskets and tough defense.

Tuesday he was given the task of guarding Robbie Avila, the 6-foot-10 Saint Louis star. Avila drew six fouls in the first half, but went largely silent as the Rams pulled away coming out of the locker room.

“I thought we were fouling a little bit too much in the first half,” VCU guard Max Shulga said. “They shot 23 free throws, and most of them were in the first half. So we had to take care of, just, silly floor fouls, putting them in the bonus too quick, and be more disciplined on defense with walling up and stuff like that.”

VCU guard Phil Russell celebrates a Rams basket during Tuesday's win over Saint Louis. (Caden Burch for The Richmonder)

VCU coach Ryan Odom noted that his team has picked up contributions from different players throughout the season, and on Tuesday it was Brandon Jennings, a freshman from Richmond, who triggered the game-sealing sequence in the second half.

For Odom, Jennings wasn't a top contributor because of his shooting, it was the hustle work he did on other possessions.

“It’s more about fitting into your role," Odom said. "Brandon just happened to score some baskets from behind the arc today, but that wasn’t how he impacted the game. He impacted the game with his defense, his rebounding in the first half, and that got him going.”

If the positive is that VCU is flying high amid the grind of conference play, the downside is that winning the conference might be mandatory, not optional, given the stumbles A-10 teams had in nonconference play.

Dayton appeared to be a lock for an at-large bid before inexplicable losses to George Washington and UMass, and none of the conference's teams currently have a NET rating inside the top 60.

The Rams will get another opportunity for a big win next Friday against St. Bonaventure at the Siegel Center, but before then will need to hold their first-place standing this Friday against Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia.

Bamisile said all home games are important for the team to win, but admitted on Tuesday it was particularly sweet to extend VCU's home record against Saint Louis to 10-0.

“No matter who walks in here, it’s about protecting home court, and winning the games we’ve got to win, and making sure people know it’s not easy to win in here,” he said. “But it does feel nice to beat them.”