Game of the Night
Richmond Spiders 74, VCU Rams 87
The Rams pulled the series sweep over their inner-state rivals, the Richmond Spiders, after an 87-74 win on Friday night. Both teams shot the ball well from the field, but VCU’s rebounding was too much for Richmond to handle. The Rams outrebounded the Spiders 41-21 and pulled down 15 on the offensive end compared to just 5 from Richmond. VCU would win its 3rd straight game in conference play and move a step closer to solidifying itself in the NCAA Tournament. Richmond struggled once again, and the Spiders failed to get even one win over their conference rival on Friday night.
VCU (20-7, 12-2 A 10) was led by Melvin Johnson with 22 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the floor. The senior also dished out 4 assists and pulled down 2 rebounds. In addition, the Rams got double-digit scoring contributions from Justin Tillman (15), Jordan Burgess (14), JeQuan Lewis (13), and Mo Alie-Cox (12). Lewis and Alie-Cox also managed double-doubles on the night as they dished out 10 assists and pulled down 12 rebounds respectively. The Rams shot 53.0% from the floor and had a very good night on the glass. Things will not get any easier from here on out; VCU will play Dayton and George Washington on the road between now and the end of the regular season.
Richmond (14-12, 6-8 A 10) shot 52.5% from the floor but was unable to top the Rams at the Siegel Center on Friday night. T.J. Cline led the way for the Spiders as he went 9-12 from the floor for 22 points. He also dished out 5 assists and pulled down 8 rebounds. Marshall Wood and ShawnDre’ Jones had 12 points each; Terry Allen also scored 11 of his own. Unfortunately for the Spiders, they really didn’t have enough in the tank to take down their conference rivals on the road. They’ve now lost two straight and will have a tough home matchup against George Washington this upcoming Wednesday.