NEW YORK – A season that started with heartbreak and setbacks has turned into one of the best seasons in Saint Louis University men’s basketball history.
Behind a brilliant performance from senior point guard Kwamain Mitchell, Saint Louis defeated VCU 62-56 to win the Atlantic 10 Conference tournament title in Brooklyn, NY.
Mitchell finished with 19 points and Dwayne Evans continued his stellar play with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Both were named to the All-Tournament team with Evans also taking MVP honors.
The win gave the Billikens (27-6) their first ever Atlantic 10 title and their first conference championship since the 2000 Conference USA championship, which is also SLU’s only other tournament title. Saint Louis had never won a regular-season and tournament championship in the same year.
Must cut everything short. Getting kicked out of Barclays Center because Nets have a game tonight and everyone has to clear out. So let's get to the good stuff...
Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year Jim Crews breaks down the win over VCU.
Cody Ellis, Kwamain Mitchell and Dwayne Evans all stepped up big in various ways throughout the game. Mitchell not only scored, he controlled the tempo of the game. If Kwamain wanted to drive to the basket, he got to the basket. If he wanted to slow down the offense and feed the post, he would feed the post. VCU could not stop the senior point guard from getting where he wanted to go. Watch as the players describe the thrills of winning an A-10 Championship.
Watch as the Saint Louis Billikens reap the benefits of winning the A-10 tournament. And enjoy the quick look inside the box that all the players received from Grandy Glaze.
VCU (26-8) head coach Shaka Smart had plenty of good things to say about the Billikens following his team’s loss in the title game.
VCU head coach Shaka Smart on the resiliency of Saint Louis: “I think we came at them. They took a punch from us, and they responded, and that’s why they’re the champions.”
The 21 first half points for VCU tied a season low, which was the game against Saint Louis earlier in the season.
The Rams lost for the first time in 27 games this year when their opponent commits 15 or more turnovers. (Saint Louis had 17)
VCU committed a season-high 25 fouls. It was the eleventh time in the past 12 games that the Rams committed more than 20 fouls. Tisk tisk.
Saint Louis led wire-to-wire in both wins over VCU this year.
Dwayne Evans set a new Atlantic 10 Championship series record with 26 made free throws. Evans’ 31 free throw attempts is the second most in tournament history.
Evans shot 19-25 (.760) from the field in three A-10 tournament games this year, the sixth best field goal percentage in a championship series in conference history.
Kwamain Mitchell tallied a team-high 19 points and now has 1,550 career points, good for seventh on SLU’s all-time scoring list. Kwamain’s 410 career assists are third on the all-time list.
SLU has won 15 of its last 16 games, eight of those by double-digits, and is now 21-0 when holding their opponent under 60 points this season.
