ICHMOND, Va. – Sophomore forward Courtney Hurt (Loganville, Ga.) poured in a career-high 26 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as Virginia Commonwealth University gained sole possession of first place in the Colonial Athletic Association with a 75-51 victory against Towson Sunday afternoon at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

VCU picks up its fifth straight win and improves to 10-5 overall and 3-0 in CAA play, while Towson slips to 8-6, 2-1 in conference action.

"I feel like our kids have been really focused and are on a mission," VCU Head Coach Beth Cunningham said of the Rams season-high five-game win streak.  "Today was no different.  We came out right from the beginning and felt like it was important to get off to a good start and take their momentum away. 

"Defensively, I thought we did a good job of taking them out of what they wanted to do.  I am proud of the way the team played on both ends of the floor."

Senior forward D'Andra Moss (Atlanta, Ga.) registered her third double-double of the season with 19 points and a career-best 14 rebounds, while senior guard La'Tavia Rorie (Charlotte, N.C.) contributed 11 points for VCU.  Senior guard Kita Waller (Gainesville, Ga.) added nine points, seven rebounds and a team-high four steals for the Rams.

Senior guard Shanae Baker-Brice paced Towson and led all scorers with 28 points despite shooting 11-of-29 from the field.  Senior forward Haliena Snowden chipped in six points and four rebounds for the Tigers.

VCU jumped out to a 12-2 lead just 3:25 into the contest and never looked back, holding a double-digit advantage for most of the game.  Towson pulled within eight points on a 3-pointer by Baker-Brice with 11:44 showing but it was as close as the Tigers would get the remainder of the day as the Rams took a 39-27 lead into the locker room.

The Rams used a 17-7 spurt to open the second half and VCU took a 56-34 lead on a layup by Waller with 12:09 to go.  VCU maintained at least a 15-point cushion the rest of the way and closed the contest by scoring 12 of the final 15 points.

Hurt made her first start of the season, while posting her third double-double in the last four games.

"Courtney was outstanding," Cunningham said.  "We got another quality performance from her.  We put her in the starting lineup today because she has really started to understand what we need from her.  It's even better to see that when she gets the opportunity in a game, she really takes advantage of it. 

"She's just playing hard.  When she plays with that kind of intensity, we're seeing what the end result can be.  She's a critical piece to the puzzle and especially if we can continue to get that consistency out of her."

VCU shot 45.6 percent from the field and limited Towson to just 32.8 percent shooting.  The Rams also held a 42-30 margin on the boards.

The Black and Gold have now won 22 of the last 23 games at the Verizon Wireless Arena.

VCU continues CAA play on Thursday, January 14 with a 6 p.m. contest at Georgia State.