RICHMOND, Va. — VCU defeated in-state rival Old Dominion for the second straight year at the Siegel Center Saturday, Dec. 12. The final score was 77-54 VCU.

The game started slow for both teams as the Monarchs were held scoreless for the first 5:38 of the game. VCU missed its first five 3-pointers in the game but proceeded to knock down five of its next six attempts to built its lead. The Rams separated from the Monarchs early in the contest with a 21-4 run that included four 3-pointers and gave VCU a commanding 28-10 lead with 5:36 left in the half. The Ram capped off a great first-half performance by running a perfect play to get Junior Vince Williams a good look from three on the left-wing and he buried it with no time remaining on the clock. The Rams took an 18 point lead into halftime, 40-22. The second half was more of the same from VCU, impressive defense, and consistent offense. The Rams depth showed through once again as the Rams outscored the Monarchs 34-18 in bench points. The Rams also beat the Monarchs to the glass, winning the rebounding battle by a 40-29 margin.

The story of the game was the Rams suffocating defense. The Monarchs’ two leading scorers, Malik Curry (19.3 ppg) and AJ Oliver (14.6 ppg) combined for just 10 points in total Saturday night, with 6 of those coming from the free-throw line. ODU shot just 38% from the field along with turning the ball over 17 times. VCU’s versatile lineups proved to be too much for the Monarch. On the offensive side of the ball, the Rams had three players in double figures. Bones Hyland with 15 points, Vince Williams with 11 points, and Mikael Brown-Jones with 10 points off the bench. Starting point guard Ace Baldwin was not far behind with 9 points himself.

VCU will close out their four-game homestand against the West Carolina Wildcats on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. The game will broadcasted on MASN and ESPN+.