NIT 2nd Round Final Score: Wake Forest 80, VCU 74
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C. (JLVM Coliseum)
Won/Loss Records: VCU 22-10, Wake Forest 25-9
Wake Forest connected on 29 of 37 free throws. VCU made good on 23 of its 27 attempts from the charity stripe. That's a hell of a lot of stoppages in play. Apparently the referees for this tilt hadn't gotten the word about the tradition of letting players play in postseason games. Although Rams senior forward Vince Williams scored a career-high 27 points, VCU's 2021-22 season ended with a thud on Saturday in the second round of the NIT.
The information below was supplied by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.
OPENING TIP
· Vince Williams made good on 7-of-15 shots from the field and 10-of-11 at the free throw line. He added eight rebounds
· Freshman guard Jayden Nunn capped his rookie campaign with 18 points on 6-of-10 three-point shooting for VCU
· Junior forward Hason Ward added eight points, four rebounds and two blocks for the Rams, while freshman forward Jalen DeLoach provided seven points and eight rebounds off the bench
· Alondes Williams led four Demon Deacons in double figures with 19 points
THE DIFFERENCE
· The Demon Deacons shot .481 (13-of-27) in the first half, including 5-of-11 from 3-point range on the way to a 43-35 halftime lead
· VCU was hurt by 19 turnovers, including 13 in the first half
· The Rams pulled within 63-60 on a pair of Williams free throws with 5:17 remaining, but could not get over the hump. Alondes Williams responded with a driving layup to make it 65-60. A short time later Daivien Williamson capped a 7-0 run with a 3-pointer to give the Demon Deacons a 72-63 advantage with 3:15 left
NOTABLE
· The two teams combined for 64 free throws in the game, including 44 in the second half
· VCU held Wake to 2-of-14 shooting from 3-point range in the second half
· For the first time in three years, VCU season-ending fate happened on the court. That's because the Rams past two seasons concluded with games canceled, due to the COVID-19 pandemic
NEXT UP
The VCU Rams' 2022-23 season.
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