NCAA Tournament 2017, St. Mary’s vs VCU: Highlights, score and recap

The St. Mary’s Gaels jumped out to an early lead, then fought off the VCU Rams in the second half to advance in the 2017 NCAA Tournament

One of the biggest questions entering the 7-10 matchup in the West Region between the Saint Mary’s Gaels and VCU Rams was which team was actually ready for this type of stage. While both teams enjoyed ostensibly successful seasons, neither exactly played a stunning level of competition. In fact, the only top-50 team in BPI that the Gaels faced was Gonzaga—who they lost to on three separate occasions.

However, they didn’t look like they’d not faced anyone as they came out swinging against the Rams and landed some big blows. VCU didn’t have an answer on the glass or defensively against Saint Mary’s star big man, Jock Landale, who was absolutely killing them. What’s more, the Gaels were shooting the living daylights out of the ball, converting on over 60 percent of their attempts in the first half and taking a 15-point lead into the locker room.

Rams star JeQuan Lewis wasn’t about to let his last game as a senior go down as a blowout loss, though. Coming out of the half, he inspired his team to pick up the defensive effort. What’s more, Lewis was phenomenal in simply making plays. His jumper wasn’t falling, particularly from the outside. But that didn’t stop him from setting up teammates and putting up points in any way he could find to help VCU climb back into the matchup.

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Unfortunately for the Rams, Lewis just didn’t have enough help around him. While he put up 30 points by himself, the next highest scorer came in at just 12. With that and the inability to get key stops in the clutch moments of the game, Saint Mary’s was able to hit their free throws and put away VCU to advance to a date with the winner of Arizona and North Dakota in the Second Round of March Madness.

Highlights

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Three Stars

Jock Landale, St. Mary’s – The star center for the Gaels was able to come up huge in this matchup as he posted a big double-double, going for 18 points, 13 rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

JeQuan Lewis, VCU – Hats off the senior guard for VCU who wouldn’t let his team die—even when he contributed to their 15.4 percent clip from three. He finished with 30 points, two assists, one rebound and two steals.

Calvin Hermanson, St. Mary’s – In addition to having the highlight of the matchup with a monster dunk, Hermanson’s shooting was big for the Gael’s. He finished with 16 points, four boards and two assists.