Men’s Basketball
- The Rams traveled to Philadelphia for their first conference road game taking on the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (12-3, 2-1). After the Hawks jumped out to an 8-0 lead early in the first half, The Rams were able to chip away at their deficit to take the lead going into halftime. Much like the first half, the Hawks jumped out to a big run. The Hawks went up by as much as 13 in the half. The Rams fought back as they outscored the Hawks 28-12 in the final 7:11 of the game to get the win 85-82. Mo Alie-Cox scored 10 straight points for the Rams during that stretch which gave the Rams the lead. Melvin Johnson finished the game with 25 points, seven rebounds, and three steals.
- They returned to action Sunday afternoon in St. Louis defeating the Saint Louis Billikens (6-9, 1-2) 72-56 thanks to a smothering effort on defense. In the first half, the Rams held the Billikens to 15% shooting in the first half and forced the Billikens to commit 12 turnovers. Due to VCU’s core players being in foul trouble for much of the half, the Rams gained little separation from Billikens going into halftime. With their core players able to contribute in the second half, the Rams were able to go up by as much as 24 in the half en route to their sixth consecutive win. Mo Alie-Cox led the Rams in scoring with 16 points, 10 of which came from the charity stripe.
- Overall Record, Conference Record: (11-5, 3-0) T-1st in the Atlantic 10
- This Week: VCU will face the Fordham Rams (10-4, 1-2) on Wednesday at 7:00 at the Siegel Center. On Saturday, the Rams will take on crosstown rival, Richmond Spiders (9-6, 1-2), at the Robins Center at 2:00.
Women’s Basketball
- The VCU Rams rode a six-game winning streak into Thursday game against the Saint Louis Billikens. Both teams went on a series of runs early alternating leads throughout the game. However, the Billikens would go on a 15-2 run in the second half that would give the lead for the remainder of the game. In the midst of that run, Adaeze Alaeze committed a technical foul that would shift the momentum of the game into the hands of the Billikens. The Rams cut the Billikens lead down to run, but with 15 seconds the go, but the Billikens iced the game with their free throw shooting leading to a 77-72 win. Alaeze finished the game with 20 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Billikens guard, Jackie Kemph, finished the game with 23 points.
- VCU returned to the court on Sunday looking to rebound after their loss to the Billikens on Thursday. Both teams fought a very close and competitive game down to the wire. The Hawks and the Rams alternated the lead 11 times. Isis Thorpe hit a three to give VCU their first lead in the half 55-54 with 5:31 to go. Ciara Andrews knocked down an open three-pointer to give the Hawks a 65-63 lead with 11 seconds to go. Adashia Franklin hit one of two free throws with a three seconds to go. Keira Robinson had a chance to send the game into overtime with a three, but was able to knock it down. Isis Thorpe led the Rams in scoring with 16 points. Andrews finished the game with a game-high 20 points.
- Overall Record, Conference Record: (12-4, 1-2) T-7th in the Atlantic 10
- This Week: The Rams will hit the road for a date this Wednesday in Dayton, Ohio with the Dayton Flyers at 7:00. They will return to the Siegel Center next Sunday to face the Davidson Wildcats at 6:00.
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