BYU Dominates VCU 80-71 in First Round

DENVER — Richie Saunders netted 16 points, Egor Demin added 15, and sixth-seeded BYU defeated 11th-seeded VCU 80-71 in Thursday’s East Region opening round.

Fousseyni Traore contributed 13 points, while Keba Keita finished with nine points and nine rebounds for the Cougars (25-9). BYU advances to face No. 3 Wisconsin in the second round on Saturday, having avoided a second consecutive upset as a No. 6 seed.

Earlier Thursday, Wisconsin triumphed over Montana 85-66.

Zeb Jackson led VCU (28-7) with a season-high 23 points, while Jack Clark, Joe Bamisile, and Max Shulga all added 12 points each. Bamisile and Shulga, who averaged 15.1 points per game, struggled offensively. Bamisile shot 4-for-15, and Shulga was 4-for-10.

BYU built an 11-point halftime lead and extended it early in the second half.

Saunders opened with a 3-pointer, followed by a three-point play. Trevin Knell responded to Bamisile’s 3-pointer with one of his own. Mawot Mag and Demin capitalized on two VCU turnovers, and Keita tipped in Demin’s miss to push the lead to 54-34 with 15:59 remaining.

VCU began to trim the deficit as Shulga hit back-to-back 3-pointers after missing six of his first seven attempts. Demin missed on the other end, and Jackson’s 3-pointer brought VCU within 60-50.

BYU stretched the lead to 15 with 4:57 to go. The Rams pulled it within nine with 1:02 left, but the Cougars held off the comeback attempt.

In the first half, Jackson’s jumper tied the game at 24 with 6:44 remaining, but VCU went cold the rest of the way. Mag sparked a BYU run with a layup, Traore added a hook shot and two free throws, and Knell nailed a 3-pointer during a 12-2 stretch that gave the Cougars a 39-28 lead at halftime.

Shulga and Bamisile combined for only six points in the first half.