RICHMOND, Va. (Interstat) — Saint Louis built a commanding first-half lead and withstood a second-half push to defeat VCU 71-62 in an Atlantic 10 men’s basketball game Wednesday night at Siegel Center.

The Billikens held the Rams to 22 points on 18% shooting before halftime, taking a 30-22 lead. VCU improved after the break but never erased the deficit. Kellen Thames led Saint Louis with 18 points. Terrence Hill scored 17 for VCU.

Saint Louis (14-1) shot 42.9% from the field, while VCU (11-5) finished at 28.6%. The Rams missed 18 of 24 attempts from 3-point range. Attendance was 7,637.