VCU's second half scoring too much for ODU

Final Score: VCU 75, Old Dominion 66

Location: Norfolk, Va. (Chartway Arena)

Current Records: VCU 6-4, Old Dominion 5-6

The short story: The Rams scored 44 points in the second stanza. Senior forward Vince Williams scored seven of his 16 points during a decisive second-half stretch, as VCU pulled away from ODU Saturday night in Norfolk. 

 

OPENING TIP

·      Williams connected on 4-of-6 attempts from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the 3-point arc. He added nine rebounds and a pair of blocked shots

·      VCU senior forward Levi Stockard supplied 16 points, his most in a VCU uniform. Stockard scored 12 points in the second half alone on 6-of-8 shooting

·      Sophomore guard Ace Baldwin added 11 points, five assists and four steals for the Black and Gold, while guards Josh Banks (nine points) Marcus Tsohonis (eight points) bolstered the Rams off the bench

·      Austin Trice led ODU with 16 points and eight rebounds

 

THE DIFFERENCE

·      Williams scored seven points, including a 3-pointer in front of the VCU bench, during a 9-2 Rams burst that pushed the Black and Gold in front for good at 62-57 with 5:42 left

·      Old Dominion fought to keep the game close, but Tsohonis hit two back-breaking 3-pointers, one to make it 65-59 and another that extended VCU’s lead to 70-62 with 3:22 left

·      VCU trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half, and the Monarchs took a 37-31 lead into the locker room at halftime, but the Rams shot .516 (16-of-31) from the field in the second half on the way to victory

·      The Rams held ODU to 1-of-9 shooting from 3-point range in the game and owned a 36-35 rebounding advantage

 

NOTABLE

·      VCU has won three straight and 10 of 12 against Old Dominion

·      Banks’ nine points were one off his career-high. He helped fuel a first-half comeback with five points, including a traditional three-point play, during a 9-2 run that closed ODU’s lead to 26-24 with 6:00 left in the half

·     Stockard is averaging 13.3 points in his last six games

 

Next Up: VCU will host Florida Atlantic at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Wednesday, Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. That game can be seen on MASN and ESPN+.

-- Info provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.