Richmond, VA – The Saint Louis University Billikens opened up the 2026 portion of their college basketball season with a big statement victory on the road.
The Billikens defeated VCU 71-62 in an Atlantic 10 Conference showdown on Wednesday night. It was the first time the Billikens have won at VCU’s Siegel Center after 10 consecutive losses to the Rams in Richmond.
Saint Louis U. also continued its stellar first half of the season by improving its record to 14-1 and 2-0 in Atlantic 10 play. It is the Billikens’ best start to a season since 1993-94 when they made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 37 years.
The Billikens led for virtually the entire game and they led by as many as 14 points in the second half. The only time they trailed was when VCU stormed back to take a 62-61 lead on a layup by Ahmad Nowell with two minutes and 30 seconds left.
VCU’s lead was short-lived as sophomore guard Amari McCottry drained a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to give the Billikens a 64-62 lead to quiet the raucous Siegel Center crowd. McCottry then fed senior center Robbie Avila for a layup as the Billikens closed the game on a 10-0 run.
St. Louisan Kellen Thames (Pattonville High) was the individual standout of the contest with team highs of 18 points and 10 rebounds. Thames was 7-of-10 from the field and he also handed out three assists. Senior guard Dion Brown added 10 points. Junior guard Quentin Jones scored nine points while Avila and senior forward Paul Otieno scored eight points each.
The Billikens also rode a strong defensive performance to Wednesday night’s victory as they limited the Rams to 62 points, which was 25 under their season’s average. They also held VCU to 28 percent shooting from the field.
The Billikens will conclude their two-game road swing this weekend when they visit LaSalle in another A-10 contest on Saturday in Philadelphia. Tip-off is at 3 p.m. (St. Louis time). The game will be televised on USA Network.