VCU tops La Salle to win its fifth in a row

Final Score: VCU 80, La Salle 67

Location: Siegel Center in Richmond 

Current Records: VCU 10-4, 1-0 in A-10. La Salle 6-8, 0-1 in A-10. 

 

In a nutshell: VCU junior guard Ace Baldwin led all Rams in scoring with 19 points. He added six assists and four steals; plus he sank a career-high five treys. Sophomore forward Jalen DeLoach contributed the first double-double of his career with 14 points and 13 rebounds. 

 

After falling behind the Explorers by nine points in the first half, the Rams topped off that stanza with a Zeb Jackson three-pointer, to seize the lead by two points, 38-to-36. In the second half, VCU played with confidence and outscored La Salle, 42-to-31, to launch its A-10 play with a victory. The surging Rams have now won five consecutive games.

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

• DeLoach’s 14 points came on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor. His 13 rebounds topped his previous career-high of 11 last season against Rhode Island.
• Junior guard Zeb Jackson had a good day to ring out 2022 for the Rams. He scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting. 
  
• Graduate student Brandon Johns was the other Ram in double figures, putting up 10 points on 4-of-8 from the field. He also snared six rebounds. 
  
• La Salle’s Josh Nickelberry led all scorers with 21 points, 13 of which came in the first half. Jhamir Brickus and Khali Brantley also recorded double figures with 16 and 14 points, respectively. 
• After a Brantley pull-up jumper brought La Salle within two with 9:22 left, the Rams outscored the Explorers 27-18 the rest of the way in.
• In the first half, the Explorers navigated their way to a 7-0 lead in the opening 2:57 of the game, courtesy of two Nickelberry field goals and layup by Brantley. La Salle would lead for most of the opening 20 minutes before the Rams took their first lead at 25 seconds before halftime with a Johns dunk.  
  
• The two teams went back and forth for the first ten minutes of second half, with La Salle staying within arm’s length and not allowing VCU a lead bigger than seven points prior to the Rams’ final flurry to put the game out of reach.  
• The Rams’ eight 3-pointers tied their highest mark of the season, which also happened in the season opener against Manhattan. 
• The Rams' bench came up big, outscoring La Salle’s bench players 27-8. 
• With the victory, the Rams continue their dominance of La Salle, winning their eighth straight against the Explorers.

BOX SCORE

 

UP NEXT

 

The Rams will hit the road on Wed., Jan. 4, when they will face the Duquesne Dukes (11-4, 1-1 A-10). It will be the Rams' first road game since Dec. 3. Tip-off will be at 7 p.m. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.

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