Playing with a lead is not a luxury St. Louis University has enjoyed for long stretches this season, or the last four, for that matter.
As Tuesday night’s meeting with Virginia Commonwealth stretched well into the second half, the Rams made things increasingly uncomfortable for a team that had led nearly start to finish in three consecutive games.
When Justin Tillman scored on VCU’s first possession of overtime at Chaifetz Arena, the Billikens trailed for the first time in more than 116 minutes.
The momentum belonged to the Rams down the stretch and the Billikens couldn’t keep up as VCU held on for a 75-74 win after De’Riante Jenkins hit a 3-pointer with four seconds left in regulation to force the extra period.
Afterward, coach Travis Ford was more despondent after a loss than any time in his two seasons at SLU, and D.J. Foreman and Javon Bess, who scored 20 points each, didn’t speak above a whisper.
“We get a little bit of a lead and the other team increased its intensity, aggressiveness and their pressure, and we kind of went the other way,” Ford said. “We lost our physicality and toughness. We fatigued a little bit, I guess.”
Four players went more than 40 minutes for SLU as Ford relied on his three bench players for only 23 minutes. Additionally, Davell Roby and Foreman both appeared hobbled in the closing minutes of OT.
The Billikens were playing their second game since it was announced by a local attorney that three players have been suspended and one expelled in the wake of the university’s Title IX investigation into sexual assault allegations. The sanctions have not been implemented yet and one of those players was in action.
Until the closing minutes, the Billikens had weathered the turmoil rather well.
SLU had last trailed 6-5 in the early minutes of a win over Duquesne before leading start to finish at Massachusetts. The Billikens then jumped to a 10-2 lead and built a 13-point advantage against the Rams midway through the second half.
“We were too comfortable, thinking we had the lead, instead of making it bigger,” Foreman said. “We were too content. We relaxed more than usual.”
Jordan Goodwin had his third consecutive double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for SLU (3-5 in the A-10, 10-11 overall).
The Billikens couldn’t stop Tillman, who had 25 points and 12 rebounds, including six points in the overtime. They also struggled with VCU’s full-court press when the pressure was building and finished with 18 turnovers.
“They turned up the pressure a little bit and we didn’t respond,” Bess said.
SLU relied on free throws in an attempt to maintain its lead. The Billikens went more than eight minutes at the end of regulation without a field goal. They made 12 of 14 free throws in that time, but a miss with 14 seconds remaining left the door open for the Rams.
There was little acknowledgement from the crowd of the upheaval that has hit the program in the last week. One group of students had a dry-erase board and changed messages from “Release the report” to “Where is the pursuit of truth?” There were random shouts of “Free the three.”
Meanwhile, SLU played with the same eight scholarship players who have been on hand for every game. They never appeared intent on preserving energy, however. SLU pushed the tempo, scoring 18 fast-break points, and in the second half attempted to pull away.
The Billikens responded to VCU making the first basket of the second half by scoring seven consecutive points and then extending the run to 16-6. When Foreman scored on an offensive rebound, the Billikens were up 45-32 with 12 minutes, 33 seconds remaining.
VCU turned up the defensive pressure and the Rams began to poke holes in the SLU defense, making seven of eight shots during one stretch.
VCU has owned the series in recent seasons, winning the previous six meetings, including the last four by an average of 21 points. This season the Rams are making the transition to a new coach after six seasons under Shaka Smart, who left in the offseason for Texas.
In an attempt to regain some confidence in the series, SLU led the entire first half after building as much as an 11-point lead. Sustaining the effort proved difficult.
“We didn’t show our identity, who we’re supposed to be, the last 10 or 12 minutes of the game for whatever reason,” Ford said.