Location: Siegel Center in Richmond.
Current records: VCU 11-5, 2-1 in A-10. Davidson 9-7, 2-2 in A-10.
In a nutshell: The Rams found themselves down early, as the visiting Wildcats led 10-0, just 3:38 into the game. However, after a timeout called by VCU head coach Mike Rhoades, VCU went on a 19-4 run, owing particularly to a pair of David Shriver treys. Thus, after playing its worst first half of the season against Duquesne on Wednesday, this afternoon, against always tough Davidson, VCU played what might have been its best first half of the season: VCU 41, Dav 29.
When the final buzzer sounded VCU had five players who had scored in double figures. They were: Ace Baldwin, who had a team-leading 19; senior forward David Shriver with 18; graduate forward Brandon Johns with 14; sophomore guard Jayden Nunn with 12; redshirt sophomore guard Jamir Watkins with 10.
The key to the romp was VCU shooting a season-best 15-of-24 from 3-point range. Shriver led the long-range points avalanche with six treys, but he wasn’t the only Ram with a hot hand, as Nunn hit 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, and Baldwin connected on 3-of-6.
NOTES (Info provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)
- The Rams showcased their depth as the bench scored 30 points. The team also dished out 20 assists on 32 field goals, led by Baldwin Jr.’s eight.
- VCU made the most of its limited free-throw opportunities, shooting 10-of-11 from the charity stripe.
- The Rams caught fire starting at the 17:12 mark of the second half, as four offensive possessions led to four straight three-pointers by Watkins, Shriver, and Nunn. The Rams led by as many as 25 points with 6:27 remaining in the game.
- VCU forced 20 turnovers in the contest and outscored Davidson 26-10 off those miscues.
- The Rams improve to 10-8 all-time over Davidson.
- Davidson’s Sam Mennenga led all scorers with 20 points and shot 8-of-12 on the day.
BOX SCORE
UP NEXT
The Rams will fly to Chicago for their first conference matchup against Loyola-Chicago on Tuesday, Jan. 10 at 7 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
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