VCU Defeats Richmond: Williams' Trey Makes the Difference

Final Score: VCU 64, Richmond 62 

Location: Richmond, Va. (Robins Center)

Current Records: VCU 13-6, 6-2 in A-10; Richmond 13-8, 4-4 in A-10

When longtime rivals clash, it's no surprise when one or the other team's star player seizes the moment by making the game's deciding play. At the Robins Center, VCU's small forward, Vince Williams, sank a three-pointer with 25.3 seconds remaining. It proved to be the difference. Hey, if you're going to have a career night, in late January, why not have it on your arch rivals' floor?

 

Williams scored a career-high 22 points; he grabbed 10 boards; he dished for eight assists, and while he at it -- he blocked two of the Spiders' shots. Then he put his teammates aboard the team bus and drove it back to the Fan District. 

 

(Only kidding about the bus.)  

 

The info below was supplied by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.

OPENING TIP

·      Senior small forward Williams connected on 9-of-13 attempts from the floor, including 3-of-6 from 3-point range

·      Junior forward Hason Ward turned in his best performance of the season for VCU. He tied a career-high with 14 points and collected 10 rebounds to secure his third career double-double

·      Senior guard KeShawn Curry added 10 points and four rebounds for the Black and Gold

·      Grant Golden paced Richmond with 18 points

 

THE DIFFERENCE

·      With the score tied at 61-61, Williams retrieved a loose ball from the VCU backcourt and pulled up to drain a 3-pointer from the top of the 3-point arc. On Richmond’s final possession, the Spiders went the length of the floor in 3.1 seconds, but Jacob Gilyard’s running jumper at the final horn missed off the right side of the rim

·      VCU was forced to play the final 3:17 without sophomore point guard Ace Baldwin Jr., who fouled out. Gilyard hit a pair of free throws to trim VCU’s lead to 59-57, and Richmond tied the game at 59-59 on a putback by Andre Gustavson with 2:22 left. But Williams hit a pull-up jumper from 17 feet on VCU’s possession to keep the Spiders at bay and set the stage for his final heroics

·      VCU shot .509 (28-of-55) from the field in the contest and owned a 37-36 rebounding edge. The Rams also held Richmond to .355 (22-of-62) in the contest, including 4-of-22 from 3-point range

 

NOTABLE

·      VCU has won three straight and improved to 6-1 on the road this season

·      The Rams own a 56-31 lead in the crosstown series

·      Williams and Ward are the first VCU teammates to record double-doubles in the same game since Ward and Jamir Watkins did so on Feb. 27 last season at Davidson

·      Ward scored VCU’s first eight points of the game

·      VCU led for 32:51 of Saturday’s 40 minutes

NEXT UP

VCU will host Dayton on Wednesday, Feb. 2 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center at 9 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.