BYU cruises to victory over VCU 80-71

Field Level MediaField Level Media|published: Thu 20th March, 18:47 2025
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament First Round-VCU at Brigham YoungMar 20, 2025; Denver, CO, USA; Brigham Young Cougars center Fousseyni Traore (45) looses the ball against the VCU Rams during the first half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

DENVER -- Richie Saunders scored 16 points, Egor Demin added 15 points, and sixth-seeded BYU beat 11th-seeded VCU 80-71 in the first round of the East Region on Thursday.

Fousseyni Traore scored 13 points and Keba Keita had nine points and nine rebounds for the Cougars (25-9), who will face No. 3 Wisconsin in the second round on Saturday after avoiding a second straight upset as a No. 6 seed.

The Badgers beat Montana 85-66 earlier Thursday.

Zeb Jackson had a season-high 23 points, and Jack Clark, Joe Bamisile, and Max Shulga finished with 12 points each for VCU (28-7). Bamisile and Shulga, who came into the game averaging 15.1 points each, struggled on offense. Bamisile was 4-for-15 from the field and Shulga 4-for-10.

The Cougars surged to an 11-point halftime lead and extended it in the first minutes of the second half.


Saunders hit a 3-pointer and then converted a three-point play. Trevin Knell answered Bamisile's 3-pointer with one from behind the arc. Mawot Mag and Demin scored layups off two VCU turnovers, and Keita tipped in Demin's miss to make it 54-34 with 15:59 left.

The Rams cut into the lead when Shulga hit two straight 3-pointers after missing six of his first seven attempts. Demin missed on the other end and Jackson drained one from the top to get VCU within 60-50.

BYU got the lead back up to 15 with 4:57 left, the Rams cut it to nine with 1:02 left but the Cougars held on.

In the first half, Jackson's jumper tied the game at 24 with 6:44 left but VCU went cold the rest of the period. Mag started a BYU surge with a layup, Traore sank a hook shot and two free throws and Knell drained a 3-pointer in a 12-2 run that made it 39-28 heading into intermission.

Shulga and Bamisile combined to score just six points in the first half.

--Michael Kelly, Field Level Media

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