| Billikens hope to even CBI Championship Series |
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| === Billikens hope to even CBI Championship Series === St. Louis, MO (Sports Network) - Now back at home, the Saint Louis Billikens will try to even the series with the Virginia Commonwealth Rams in the championship round of the 2010 College Basketball Invitational. The CBI championship series is a best-of-three, and if necessary, the third game will be played at Chaifetz Arena on Friday. The Rams took game one of the series on Monday night, capturing a 68-56 victory in Richmond. It marked the 11th straight home win for VCU, which is 18-1 in its own backyard this season. The Rams though, are much more vulnerable on the road, boasting just a 6-7 ledger as the visiting team. Saint Louis, meanwhile, played its first game of the tourney on the road this past Monday and that obviously made things more difficult. The Billikens, however, now get the chance to protect their home floor and they are a healthy 18-3 at Chaifetz Arena this season, including 3-0 in this event. Monday's game marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs in men's basketball. The Rams scored 25 points off 16 turnovers in posting a 68-56 victory over Saint Louis on Monday night. VCU, which had 12 steals and only 10 giveaways itself, shot 48.2 percent from the floor, including 6-of-14 from three-point range. Joe Rodriguez headed the charge with 22 points and six assists, while Larry Sanders turned in an impressive all-around effort consisting of 20 points, 12 rebounds, four blocks and three steals. It was the 14th double- double of the season for Sanders, who leads the club with 14.7 ppg, 9.3 rpg and 88 blocks. Rodriguez is also a big part of what VCU does as he averages 12.9 ppg, to go with team-highs of 5.9 apg and 66 steals. Bradford Burgess gets in on the action as well, contributing 10.6 ppg and 5.0 rpg. Besides their problems hanging onto the ball on Monday, the Billikens also struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on just 5-of-20 three-point attempts. The team didn't have much luck getting to the foul line either, as SLU was just 1-of-2 on the night. Willie Reed paced the squad in defeat with 11 points and six boards, while Kwamain Mitchell and Cody Ellis tallied 10 points apiece. For the season, Mitchell tops the roster in scoring at 16.1 ppg and he is also the team's best defender with 49 steals. Reed is the main threat down low and he comes in with 12.3 ppg and team-highs of 8.0 rpg and 70 blocks. Ellis adds 10.8 ppg and 5.0 rpg for Saint Louis, which his limiting opponents to only 59.9 ppg for the season. 03/31 10:31:41 ET |
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