Hot-Shooting Richmond Outscores VCU

Final Score: Richmond 79, VCU 76
Location: The Robins Center
Records: Richmond 22-7, 14-2 in A-10. VCU 19-10, 11-5 A-10. 

In a nutshell: It wasn't that VCU played all that bad. It was that Richmond played better and prevailed. 

More specifically, in spite of their commendable effort on defense, when it counted most, the Rams simply couldn't stop two Spiders sharpshooting guards, Jordan King (27 pts.) and Delonnie Hunt (16 pts.), from scoring. 

All five of the Spiders starters scored in double figures. The Rams also had five players score in double figures. Both teams grabbed 30 rebounds. VCU committed 10 turnovers, Richmond committed 11 turnovers. VCU blocked three shots, UR blocked four.

However, in the second half, shooting from the field, the visitors hit 57.1 percent. But the home team made good on 66.7 percent of its shots. Several of those Spiders baskets were made with the shooters being closely guarded. During one amazing spell of the second stanza, Richmond connected on 13 consecutive shots from the field.  

In two matchups during the 2023-24 season, since both teams won their home game, it appears the crosstown rivalry is alive and well.

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

• Over the final 2:59 of the first half, King scored 10 points, including a go-ahead, step-back jumper, to spur Richmond to an 11-2 run and a 32-29 halftime lead. 
• Out of the break, Max Shulga hit a 3-pointer at the 13:32 mark of the second half to cap a 15-5 burst by VCU. Shulga led the Rams scoring with 19 points. He knocked down 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and converted all seven of his free throws. He also supplied four rebounds and two assists. 
• Sean Bairstow added 13 points, five assists and three rebounds for the Rams. Tobi Lawal and Zeb Jackson also chipped in 13 each for VCU. Jackson provided six rebounds and four assists, while Lawal hauled in five boards. 
• King drilled a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 12-0 Richmond run midway through the second half that pushed the Spiders in front 52-47 with 10:43 left. King added a third triple, a contested fadeaway from the right wing, as the shot clock expired, to extend Richmond’s advantage to 57-50 at the 9:24 mark.
• Back-to-back steals and buckets by Jackson and Lawal capped a 9-2 VCU blitz that pulled the Rams within 65-63 with 4:47 remaining. The teams traded a pair of buckets before Isaiah Bigelow provided the Spiders with a 70-65 cushion with a 3-pointer from the wing with 3:58 on the clock. 
• The Rams drew within three once more, but could not get over the hump. A dunk by Dji Bailey and four free throws in the final minute kept VCU at bay.
• The Spiders shot 67 percent (16-of-24) overall from the field in the second period, including 7-of-14 from beyond the arc. 
• The Rams shot 46 percent (26-of-56) from the field in the game, including 42 percent (10-of-24) from long range.
• VCU now leads the all-time series with Richmond by a 60-to-33 margin.

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will host Duquesne on Tues., Mar. 5. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center. That last home game of the regular season will serve as the Rams’ Senior Day; it will be televised by MASN and ESPN+.