Determined VCU outlasts gritty Duquesne

Final Score: VCU 71, Duquesne 62
Location: UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse  in Pittsburgh.
Updated Records: VCU 25-5, 15-2 in A-10. Duquesne 13-17, 8-9 in A-10.

In a nutshell: It wasn't pretty. VCU found a way to win. In the doing, the Rams' ninth straight victory, they clinched at least a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference regular season title, plus they will be the No. 1 seed in the league’s upcoming championship tournament. 

Gritty Duquesne was better than its record suggested. So VCU had to dig down to find the will and determination to win on a night in which it didn't have its best stuff. The Rams got it done with a team effort.        

Stats: Max Shulga scored a game-high 22 points. He pretty much carried the team in the first half with a 15-point contribution. He added four rebounds, three steals and a block. Zeb Jackson came off the bench to score 16 points. He also grabbed  four rebounds and he made two steals. Jack Clark added seven points and pulled down a career-high 14 boards.

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

• VCU shot 47 percent (14-of-30) from the field, including 4-of-10 from long range, on the way to a 37-29 halftime lead.
• The Rams’ defense forced 15 turnovers and held Duquesne to 41 percent (21-of-51) shooting. The Dukes were just 4-of-16 from the 3-point arc.
• The Rams owned a 38-33 advantage on the glass and corralled 14 offensive rebounds.
• Bamisile connected on a pair of buckets and Clark buried a 3-pointer during a 15-7 VCU burst that provided the Rams with a 37-27 cushion with 55 seconds left in the first half.
• The Rams expanded their lead to as many as 14 points early in the second half, only to watch the Dukes trim the margin to 46-42 with 14:46 left on eight straight points by Edwards. But VCU held firm and later pushed its advantage to 59-47 with 5:31 remaining on a layup and a 3-pointer by Jackson.
• VCU improved to 15-2 in A-10 play and clinched a share of the league’s regular season championship for the fourth time since joining the conference in 2012-13. The Rams shared the title in 2016 and claimed outright regular season crowns in 2019 and 2023. 
• VCU can win the A-10 championship outright with a win over Dayton Friday or a loss by George Mason. 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will host Dayton on Friday, March 7. Tipoff at 7 p.m. in what will be the regular season finale for both teams. TV: ESPN2.

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