Location: St. Bonaventure.
Updated Records: St. Bonaventure 13-1 (1-0 in A-10). VCU 10-4 (0-1 in A-10).
In a nutshell: At the 17.7-second mark on the clock, VCU's Phillip Russell sank a nifty eight-foot floater to tie the game at 75 apiece. In spite of Russell's season-high 26 points, St. Bonaventure's Melvin Council's driving runner dropped through the rim with 3.3 seconds left in the contest, to provide the winning margin for the Bonnies. It was the 16th and final lead-change in a back and forth tilt that had 10 tie scores.
VCU stats: Russell connected on 10-of-16 shots from the field, including 6-of-12 from 3-point distance. Joe Bamisile contributed 13 points and eight boards. Max Shulga scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished for four assists.
· Christian Fermin and Zeb Jackson both added six points coming off the bench for the Rams.
· Noel Brown and Council sparked St. Bonaventure' offense with 20 points each.
· Following a timeout, Council drove to the right side of the lane and scooped a ball around two defenders for a bucket and the lead. The Rams were unable to connect on a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.
· The Bonnies shot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field in the game and outscored the Rams 48-32 in the paint.
· St. Bonaventure was able to turn 11 VCU turnovers into 11 points, and the Bonnies used 11 offensive rebounds to cash in 15 second-chance points.
· Bona led 70-67, but Russell tied the game at the 3:20 mark with his sixth 3-pointer of the day. Lajae Jones briefly gave the Bonnies a 72-70 advantage with a tip-in, but Bamisile buried a 3-pointer with 1:50 showing to push the Rams in front 73-72. Bona regained the lead on the ensuing possession, when Council rebounded his own miss for a layup.
· VCU outrebounded St. Bonaventure 33-30 and scooped up 11 offensive rebounds of its own.
· The Rams shot 48 percent (28-of-58) from the field in the contest, including 11-of-31 (36 percent) from beyond the arc.
BOXSCORE
NEXT UP: On Sat., Jan. 4, VCU will travel to the Windy City for its second A-10 conference game of the season to face Loyola Chicago. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST). The national telecast will be carried by the CBS Sports Network.
-- 30 --
· Noel Brown and Council sparked St. Bonaventure' offense with 20 points each.
· Following a timeout, Council drove to the right side of the lane and scooped a ball around two defenders for a bucket and the lead. The Rams were unable to connect on a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.
· The Bonnies shot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field in the game and outscored the Rams 48-32 in the paint.
· St. Bonaventure was able to turn 11 VCU turnovers into 11 points, and the Bonnies used 11 offensive rebounds to cash in 15 second-chance points.
· Bona led 70-67, but Russell tied the game at the 3:20 mark with his sixth 3-pointer of the day. Lajae Jones briefly gave the Bonnies a 72-70 advantage with a tip-in, but Bamisile buried a 3-pointer with 1:50 showing to push the Rams in front 73-72. Bona regained the lead on the ensuing possession, when Council rebounded his own miss for a layup.
· VCU outrebounded St. Bonaventure 33-30 and scooped up 11 offensive rebounds of its own.
· The Rams shot 48 percent (28-of-58) from the field in the contest, including 11-of-31 (36 percent) from beyond the arc.
BOXSCORE
NEXT UP: On Sat., Jan. 4, VCU will travel to the Windy City for its second A-10 conference game of the season to face Loyola Chicago. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST). The national telecast will be carried by the CBS Sports Network.
-- 30 --
