Rams second half surge tops Highlanders

Final Score: VCU 70, Radford 62

Location: Siegel Center in Richmond

Current Records: VCU 7-4, Radford 6-5

In a nutshell: After playing a nonchalant first half that featured a mess of turnovers, VCU looked like a different team in the second stanza. Brandon Johns, Jalen DeLoach and Jamir Watkins played key roles in a 23-5 second-half run that established a working margin lead over Radford. 

In all, the sloppy Rams turned the ball over 25 times! VCU will not be a contender in the A-10 if the Rams don't fix their ballhandling problem. 

NOTES (Info provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

● Brandon Johns was 6-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free throw line to lead VCU.
● Sophomore forward Jalen Deloach notched 15 points, one shy of tying his career-high. He’s reached double figures in three straight games.
● Junior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. followed closely behind in his first game back from a wrist injury with 10 points and six assists help round out VCU’s offense.
● Redshirt-sophomore Jamir Watkins controlled the boards for VCU with a career-high 11 rebounds.
● The Rams used their strong defense to help propel them to victory. VCU held Radford to a season-worst 39 percent (22-of-57) shooting effort from the field.
● The Highlanders were led by Ken Giles who scored 13 points and Daquan Smith, who scored 11.
● VCU trailed by as many as eight points in the second half, at 40-32 with 15:10 remaining. But the Rams used a 23-5 blitz over a six-minute span to take command. DeLoach converted a go-ahead layup at the 9:52 mark, and Baldwin buried a pull-up 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to give the Rams a 49-45 edge with 9:20 remaining. Johns followed with four straight points to make it 53-45 with 7:20 showing.
● VCU led by as many as five points in the first half but Radford managed to take a 28-26 lead into intermission.
● VCU shot 49 percent (22-of-45) from the floor in the game, including 67 percent (12-of-18) in the second half.
● Radford cut the lead down to six points with 30 seconds remaining thanks to a Ken Giles 3-pointer but VCU managed to convert all four of its free throw opportunities down the stretch to shore up the victory.

QUOTES

"We just played harder than them the whole second half. We just wanted it more.” – Jalen DeLoach on VCU’s second-half play.

“Proud of our guys in the second half down the stretch. I just thought we played harder and tougher at the 10-minute mark. I think at one point, we had nine straight stops, so I’m really proud of our approach on the defensive end. If we didn’t have some bonehead fouls at the end, we probably would have kept them in the low fifties, but just thought a lot of different guys contributed and so I was really proud of our resolve, especially in the second half. Credit to Radford. They’re a good team, and this game is going to make us better. Happy we won the game, and we got a lot of work to do. Onward.” – VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades

BOX SCORE

UP NEXT

Northern Illinois at VCU on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 4 p.m. That game will air on MASN and ESPN+.

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