Shove in final seconds sparks bench-clearing brawl in Saint Louis-VCU college basketball clash

The No. 18 Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team avoided what would have been its third loss of the season Friday. 

However, the Billikens' 88-75 Atlantic 10 Conference win over Virginia Commonwealth University was marred by a late-game brawl.

With the outcome decided and Saint Louis dribbling out the final seconds as home fans stood and cheered, VCU’s Nyk Lewis swiped the ball from Billikens guard Quentin Jones and launched a half-court shot at the buzzer.

Saint Louis guard Robbie Avila appeared to shove Lewis during the shot attempt. Moments later, both teams’ benches emptied, and a brawl ensued.

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Coaches from both teams were seen pushing and shoving near midcourt before officials quickly intervened to try and restore order. After a break in the action, both teams returned to the court.

Lewis went to the free throw line and made three shows before the game officially ended.

St. Louis coach Josh Schertz downplayed the incident, describing it as a routine flare-up that can happen in intense basketball games. 

"There were no punches thrown," Schertz told reporters after the game. "It was a typical basketball fight, a lot of pushing and shoving and nobody did anything."

Officials disqualified players who left the bench area during the scuffle, including Jones and VCU’s Barry Evans. 

VCU coach Phil Martelli Jr. suggested that heightened emotions were inevitable in a matchup between two physical teams.

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"I think there’s certainly a healthy intensity as there should be at the top of the league, right? We’ve got a lot of respect for them. I think they have some respect for us, I assume," he said. 

"It’s two tough teams, two very competitive teams, two physical teams. Stuff like that, you wish it didn’t happen, but, yeah, it’s an intense game. It’s an emotional game."

Games between Saint Louis and VCU have gotten chippy in the past, with a wild fight breaking out in the stands when the two schools met last season.

VCU returns to Richmond next Saturday for a matchup with Fordham. Saint Louis travels to Ohio for a meeting with Dayton Feb. 24.

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