Rams throttle Patriots, seize A-10 first place

Final score: VCU 70, George Mason 54.
Location: Siegel Center.
Updated records: VCU 22-5, 12-2 in A-10. George Mason 21-6, 12-2 in A-10. 

In a nutshell: The Saturday afternoon matchup pitted the two top teams in the Atlantic 10 Conference -- No.1, George Mason at No. 2, VCU. The low-scoring first half featured a lot of fouls. Then the Rams began the second half with more traction in a new gear. 

With a raucous Homecoming Day packed house (7,637) crowd cheering on VCU's second half run, the Rams swarming defense forced a series of turnovers that overwhelmed the stunned Patriots' offense; the home team outfitted in goldenrod with black trim surged from two points down to 13 points up in the blink of an eye. Mason's confidence that had produced that two-point halftime lead wilted and it just never recovered from that 15-0 run. 

In the doing, to take first place in the A-10 standings, VCU won the game it needed. While Mason and VCU both have 12-2 conference records, this tilt's result breaks the tie. However, both teams still have four regular season conference games remaining on their schedules. 

Stats: On the way to his game-high 22 points scored, Max Shulga hit 4-of-7 attempts from beyond the 3-point line. He also contributed five rebounds and two steals. Jack Clark added 12 points and nine rebounds. Clark sank 2-of-4 from 3-point range. Phillip Russell scored 11 points. 

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

• After being down 24-23 at the break, the Rams used a 15-0 run – punctuated by a Clark 3-pointer – to take a 42-29 lead with 14:08 remaining. VCU never trailed again.
• VCU shot 52 percent (15-for-29) from the field and 41 percent (7-for-17) from three in the second half on the way to victory. 
• The Rams outscored the Patriots 20-9 off turnovers and owned a 12-4 advantage in second-chance points. 
• VCU forced 14 turnovers and committed just nine.
• The Rams are 48-22 all-time against George Mason.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: The Rams will travel crosstown to face the Spiders on Tues., Feb. 25, at the Robins Center. Tipoff at 7 p.m. The game will be televised nationally by CBS Sports Network.

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