A fight between several fans broke out in the stands of Chaifetz Arena in St. Louis delaying the conclusion of Saint Louis‘ 78-69 victory vs. VCU on Tuesday by several minutes while security personnel and police tried to restore order.
The incident started just behind the Rams’ bench with 1:10 remaining after VCU guard Max Shulga knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the Billikens lead to 69-63.
Moments later, whistles started to blow as punches appeared to be thrown by fans in the stands behind the VCU bench as play was stopped. The game resumed after a delay of several minutes and Saint Louis held on for a 78-69 victory vs. the Rams, knocking them out of first place in the Atlantic 10.
The Billikens used a 10-0 run down the stretch to improve to 6-2 in the A-10 under first-year coach Josh Schertz. Saint Louis guard Gibson Jimerson scored a game-high 26 points and star big man Robbie Avila added 14 and seven rebounds in the victory.
The Billikens have won three of their last four games and now sit in a tie for second place with VCU in the conference standings.
Saint Louis is seeking its first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2019 season. The Billikens have upcoming conference games against Dayton, UMass and St. Joseph’s before facing first-place George Mason at home on Feb. 11.
