HENRICO, Va. -- Saint Louis coach Rebecca Tillett tried to acknowledge Peyton Kennedy scoring her 1,000th career point during a huddle in Friday evening’s Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinal but the forward offered a more succinct message.
“We’re in the huddle, we yell about it, and Peyton really emphatically responds, ‘let’s get the win’” Tillett recalled.
The Billikens delivered on Kennedy’s words to the tune of a 65-63 victory over VCU advancing to the semifinals for a second consecutive year in a quest to defend its conference championship.
“For our staff, how fortunate are we to lead fierce women,” asked Tillett. “It was an incredible performance. VCU was and it was back and forth the entire game. We made plays down the stretch.”
Kennedy led SLU with her 22 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while teammates Kyla McMakin and Brooklyn Gray chipped in totaling 16 and 12 points respectively.
Saint Louis’s free-throw performance saw it go 19-for-21 from the charity stripe.
“We’re always successful when we are shooting free throws, so sometimes you see in the beginning of the game how it is going to be officiated,” Billikens guard Julia Martinez determined. “Once you figure that out, you try to get more inside and get some of their main players in foul trouble. It is a race to five fouls and of the four quarters, two were bonus and we were the first team to get to the bonus. That definitely came in hand a lot at the end of the game.”
VCU had Atlantic 10 Player of the Year Sarah Te-Biasu obtain 22 points and teammate Mary-Anna Asare compiled 16 points. All-Defensive Team recipient Mykel Parham brought down 10 rebounds, assisting the Rams in winning the battle of the boards by a 41-33 count.
“Obviously it’s been a tremendous season for us,” VCU coach Beth O’Boyle reflected. “When you talk about the disappointment and agony of defeat, that is what this game felt like. You’ve got to give a lot of credit to Saint Louis. Down the stretch they made some really key plays. I’m so proud of the way our team plays. We were coming back, battling together. Our season’s not done yet, we will be playing and what lessons are we going to take from this. Does it hurt because we dreamed of cutting down the nets this year? Of course, but it does not take away from the intensity, effort, the way this team has played all season long.”
Much to the delight of a large VCU contingent, it was the Rams that struck first by netting the game’s first four points.
SLU would turn it around as Gray converted free three-point range and then would go on a 6-0 run with Kennedy offered the exclamation point with her rebound and putback.
The Billikens would commit the game’s first six fouls with Kennedy Calhoun taking a seat towards the end of the first quarter.
With Calhoun on the bench, SLU would foul Timaya Lewis-Eutsey. The all-conference third team selection would sink both shots, giving her Rams a 14-13 lead after one quarter.
Though VCU’s Deniz Torgut greeted the second quarter with a triple, the Billikens had a response at the ready, specifically a 17-3 run which placed Saint Louis in front by 10 points.
Kennedy accounted for 10 of those points in the effort, beginning with a pair of free throws, converting an and-one play and then going with the traditional three-point basket to conclude her barrage of scoring.
“Peyton has showed up for us every single game,” assessed Martinez. “Anytime you look at her she has such a calm face to her. She knows what we want to do, what to do next and she executes.”
The Rams would counter with Samantha Robinson and Asare converting two and three point shots respectively. That five-point margin would ultimately remain at halftime, with Saint Louis in front 34-29.
As was the case in the opening period, VCU attacked the third quarter with the first four points, using a 7-2 run to tie the contest.
SLU would regain the lead at the free throw line with both McMakin and then Martinez growing the lead to three. Kennedy would later connect from deep once again, restoring the lead to five points.
Lucia Sotelo’s three-point basket would not only give the All-Rookie Team recipient her fifth triple of the season, but also provided a boost as the Rams brought it to within a point.
VCU had its struggles at the line going 5-for-10 from the free throw line and despite Calhoun picking up her fourth foul inside of the quarter’s final minute, the Billikens held onto a 47-44 lead.
SLU remained in front by five, but a 10-0 Rams response capped off by a Te-Biasu three-point basket, which led to a vocal eruption from the VCU fans.
Saint Louis would regroup Tierra Simon converting a layup and Gray beating the shot clock. McMakin then rose and fired from three-point range, not only giving the Billikens a 7-0 response, but also the lead. Asare drilled a triple as the crowd tried to make its presence known.
An undeterred SLU side would shut down the noise when Martinez found Kennedy for the go-ahead three-point field goal.
Down by three points in the closing seconds, VCU had a look to tie the game, but before the shot was taken the Rams committed a turnover.
As the buzzer sounded, the Billikens ran towards each other to celebrate the positive result and will prepare for Saturday’s semifinal against either Saint Joseph’s or Rhode Island.