Benches clear for Saint Louis, VCU brawl at the end of regulation

No. 18 Saint Louis defeated VCU 88-75 on Friday night, but the Atlantic 10 showdown ended with benches clearing and multiple ejections with 1.1 seconds remaining in regulation.

With the Billikens holding a double-digit lead, junior guard Quentin Jones attempted to run out the clock. VCU guard Nyk Lewis stole the ball and launched a half-court attempt as time expired. During the sequence, Saint Louis star Robbie Avila made contact with Lewis, pushing him out of bounds. After the play, VCU’s Barry Evans shoved Avila, and Jones responded, escalating the situation. Players and coaching staffs from both teams converged near midcourt before officials restored order.

BENCHES CLEAR IN SAINT LOUIS VCU AND SLU BRAWL ON THE COURT pic.twitter.com/IRZHItxY7L

— A10 Talk (@A10Talk) February 21, 2026

Officials assessed a personal foul to Avila and issued Flagrant 2 fouls to Evans and Jones, resulting in their disqualifications. In accordance with NCAA rules, all VCU bench players and all but two Saint Louis reserves were ejected for leaving the bench area. That left VCU with only four players available for the final 1.1 seconds, while Saint Louis had six eligible players, five of whom were on the floor. Lewis converted three free throws before the game concluded.

The incident was the second consecutive season that a Saint Louis–VCU matchup featured a fight. On Jan. 29, 2025, during a 78-69 Saint Louis victory, a brawl in the stands delayed the game by approximately seven minutes.

Before the altercation, VCU (21-7, 12-3 A-10) led 42-33 at halftime after building a 14-point advantage and was ahead 45-35 with 18:42 remaining. Saint Louis (25-2, 13-1 A-10) broke the game open with a 53-30 run and a 55-33 second-half scoring spread. The Billikens shot 51.6% from the field and went 10-of-25 from three-point range. Kellen Thames led Saint Louis with 16 points, while Avila, Ishan Sharma, and Amari McCottry each scored 13. VCU shot 33% from the field but went 24-of-32 at the free-throw line. Lazar Djokovic scored a game-high 19 points, and Brandon Jennings contributed 18.

The win, played in ESPN’s “FridA-10” window, improved Saint Louis to 13-1 in the conference and widened the gap over second-place VCU. The Billikens entered the matchup projected as a No. 8 seed in On3’s James Fletcher III’s latest Bracketology and are seeking the No. 1 seed in next month’s Atlantic 10 tournament.

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