Rams Finish Strong; VCU 74, Loyola Chicago 67

Final score: VCU 74, Loyola 67.

Location: Richmond (Siegel Center).

Current Records: VCU 12-7, 4-2 in A-10. Loyola 13-7, 5-2 in A-10. 

In a nutshell: In winning its fourth consecutive game, Coach Ryan Odom's VCU team sank nine of its 15 attempts from beyond the arc. Bamisile hit five treys in eight attempts; Kuany made good on all three of his attempts; Shulga sank one of three. On the other hand, Loyola Chicago was only successful on four of its 20 three-point attempts. 

Overall, this was a well-played game between two pretty good teams. In the closing minutes VCU stiff-armed a determined Loyola comeback. In the doing, the Rams sank their free throws and finished the game looking confident.  

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

• VCU senior guard Joe Bamisile scored a game-high 25 off the bench, and the Rams held Loyola Chicago to 42 percent shooting, the Ramblers second-lowest mark of the season, in a win Tuesday at the Siegel Center. buried 5-of-8 from 3-point range and connected on 9-of-17 from the field overall in the game. He also snagged six rebounds for the Black and Gold.
• Graduate forward Kuany Kuany buried 3-of-3 attempts from 3-point range and finished with a season-high 16 points for the Rams.
• Graduate wing Sean Bairstow added 12 points, six assists and four rebounds for VCU.
• Dame Adelekun led the Ramblers with 14 points.
• Kuany converted a four-point play to cap a 12-1 VCU run and give the Rams their largest lead of the game, at 67-55, with 3:41 remaining. Loyola back to within 67-63, but VCU connected on 7-of-8 free throws, including 4-of-4 by Bairstow, in the final 1:09 to secure the win.
• VCU held the Ramblers to 33 percent (10-of-30) shooting in the second half to erase a 36-33 halftime deficit
• Bamisile drilled a 3-pointer from the left wing off a Kuany steal at the first half buzzer to pull VCU within three at the break.
• VCU converted 19-of-23 attempts at the free throw line (83 percent).
• The Rams made the most of their chances at the free-throw-line shooting 83 percent (19-23) compared to Loyola Chicago’s 76 percent.
• The Rams were without without senior guard Zeb Jackson (back spasms) for the second straight contest.

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will travel to Davidson on Saturday. The game will be televised at 8 p.m. on the CBS Sports Network.