No. 7 Saint Mary’s beats VCU 85-77

SALT LAKE CITY — Jock Landale had 18 points and 13 rebounds as seventh-seeded Saint Mary’s held on for an 85-77 victory over No. 10 Virginia Commonwealth in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament’s West Region on Thursday night.

The Gaels led most of the way, but had to fight to hold on after the VCU defensive pressure started to become too much in the second half.

Joe Rahon and Calvin Hermanson finished with 16 points apiece for Saint Mary’s.

JeQuan Lewis paced VCU with 30 points.

Saint Mary’s (29-4) took a 46-31 lead into halftime thanks to a 23-6 run highlighted by back-to-back 3-pointers from Hermanson. The Gaels shot 64 percent in the first half and hit 4 of 9 from behind the arc as VCU (26-9) struggled to disrupt their halfcourt offense. On top of that, Saint Mary’s was the team able to get out on the break and score in transition. That’s VCU’s style of play, but the Rams managed just two fast-break points in the first half.

The next 20 minutes was stark contrast.

Saint Mary’s began turning the ball over from VCU’s increased pressure, which led to fast-break opportunities for the Rams. Once it began scoring more consistently, VCU was able to set up its vaunted press and cause havoc.

The Gales’ offense that was so crisp in the first half struggled to find rhythm after the break, but VCU kept fouling and sending them to the line for free points. The freebies kept the Rams from getting over the hump and their last lead was at 18-17.

BIG PICTURE

VCU: The Rams just weren’t able to impose their will on Saint Mary’s, like it has against so many others. The high-speed, plenty-of-pressure brand of basketball just didn’t disrupt the Gaels as much as they hoped. VCU made a second-half run, but it wasn’t enough.

Saint Mary’s: The Gaels simply couldn’t miss in the first half, then they did enough to hold on in the second 20 minutes. The No. 2 defensive team in the country clamped down on the perimeter, but allowed a little more penetration than it would like.

FREEBIES

VCU committed 32 fouls and Saint Mary’s hit 29 of 39 free throws, including 29 second-half attempts. VCU hit 17 of 26.

PROGRESS

Three of the Gaels’ four losses this year came against No. 1-seeded Gonzaga. They return to the tournament for the first time since 2013. Saint Mary’s hasn’t advanced past the second round since 2010.

UP NEXT

Saint Mary’s will play the winner of No. 2 seed Arizona and No. 15 North Dakota on Friday.