RICHMOND, Va. — VCU defeated Utah State 85 to 69 to advance to the next round of the Bad Boy Mowers Crossover Classic in Sioux Falls, S.D. 
The Rams were led by sophomore sensation Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, who finished with 23 points, going 5-of-10 from behind the arch. Junior Vince Williams carried the bench scoring with 15 out of the teams 39 total points. Williams knocked down some huge threes late in the shot clock down the stretch for the Rams.
The story of the game was VCU pressing the havoc button in the second half. The Rams forced 11 out of 18 turnovers in the second half and held the Aggies without a made field goal from the 10:57 mark 38 seconds left in the game. Juniors KeShawn Curry and Vince Williams turned the game into a layup line midway through the second half to complete the comeback, after being down three points heading into the half.
Some notable stats from the Rams, Freshmen Ace Baldwin recorded a team-high seven assists in his college debut, KeShawn Curry led the team with six rebounds, and backup point guard Tre Clark recorded a team-high four steals.
Next on the schedule for the Rams is a 2:30 p.m. est tipoff against the No.15 ranked Mountaineers of West Virginia.
WVU is coached by Bob Huggins and led by Derek Culver and Oscar Tshiebwe. Last season, the Mountaineers won 21 games during the regular season, soaring to No. 12 in the AP poll on two different occasions before the season was cut short due to COVID-19. WVU defeated No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Baylor, and No. 22 Texas Tech during the season. WVU finished No. 24 in the final AP poll. During the season, Huggins moved into sixth place in all-time wins, passing legendary coaches Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith. The Mountaineers have high expectations this year after being picked to finish third in the Big 12 preseason poll, behind Baylor and Kansas. Huggins has stated that this year’s roster is the best he has had since his Final Four team in 2010. WVU ranked fifteenth in opponents’ point per game at 62.4 last year, and with Tshiebwe and Culver, you have a pair of double-digit scorers and preseason All-Conference honorees.
The players to watch for both teams are Miles McBride for the Mountaineers and Nah’Shon Hyland for the Rams.
McBride is coming off a career-high 23 points last night in their win over South Dakota State. The sophomore combo guard from Cincinnati went 9-of-19 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. McBride is most dangerous around the free-throw line and mid-range. When he is feeling it and can get to his spots, he can fill it up quickly. He was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team last year after averaging 9.5 points per contest and 22.2 minutes per game coming off the bench.
Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland poured in 23 points yesterday against the Aggies. He connected on five three-pointers and made six-of-seven free throws for the Rams. Hyland did most of his damage in the first half, scoring 15 points but he led the way with freshmen Ace Baldwin in taking care of the ball down the stretch for the Rams. Thanks to Hyland the Rams shot 41% from behind the arc, a big jump from the 34% they averaged last year.
The game is scheduled to start at 2:30 p.m. est Thanksgiving Day and will be broadcasted live on ESPN. VCU’s next game will either be against Memphis or Western Kentucky on Friday, November 27th.
