Final Score: Chattanooga 56, VCU 54
Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Current Records: VCU 2-2, Chattanooga 4-0
The short story: Chattanooga’s Malachi Smith hit a short jumper with 0.4 seconds remaining to lift the Mocs past VCU in a tough, back-and-forth contest.
OPENING TIP
● Vince Williams led all scorers with a career-high 21 points and six rebounds. He connected on 7-of-10 attempts, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range
● Freshman guard Jayden Nunn tallied 10 points on 5-of-10 shooting, and added a pair of assists for the Black and Gold
● Senior guard KeShawn Curry contributed nine points in the contest for VCU
● In addition to the game-winning shot, Malachi Smith paced Chattanooga with 20 points and five rebounds
THE DIFFERENCE
● Chattanooga owned a 30-26 edge on the glass. The Mocs corralled 11 offensive boards, which produced nine second-chance points
● Williams scored seven of VCU’s final 10 points and tied the game twice in the last 65 seconds, once on a pair of free throws with 1:05 remaining (52-52) and again with a lefty floater in the lane with 25 seconds on the clock (54-54)
● VCU trailed by as many as nine points, at 44-35 with 9:22 left, but the Rams embarked on a 9-0 run, capped by a Williams 3-pointer, to tie the game at 44-all
NOTABLE
· The game featured 10 ties, including six in the second half, and three lead changes
· VCU shot a season-high .478 (22-of-46) in the game, including .571 (12-of-21) in the second half
NEXT UP
VCU travels to Paradise, Bahamas to face Syracuse in the Battle 4 Atlantis at 5 p.m. on Wednesday Nov. 24. The game will air on ESPN2.
