Score: UMass 69, VCU 63
Location: Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center)
Records: VCU 17-7 (9-2 A-10), UMass 10-13 (3-8)

• Senior Melvin Johnson stripped Jabarie Hinds and laid the ball in to pull VCU within 65-63 with 1:07 remaining. But from there, the Minutemen locked down defensively and held VCU scoreless in its final three trips down the floor. UMass' Zach Coleman also came up with a crucial offensive rebound off his own free throw miss with 24 ticks on the clock. Three free throws by Trey Davis in the final moments sealed the result.
• VCU trailed by as many as 15 in the second half and was down 50-39 with 14:45 left, but Lewis bookended a 13-2 VCU run with a pair of 3-pointers that evened the score with 6:19 remaining. UMass, however, answered with a three by Donte Clark on its next trip down the floor and led the rest of the way.
• The Rams were able to climb back into the game on the strength of its defense. The Minutemen opened the half with a three by Antwan Space, then missed 14 of their next 16 shots. UMass shot 29 percent (7-of-24) in the second half overall.
• UMass jumped to a 43-32 lead at the break after it hit all seven of its 3-point attempts and forced 11 VCU turnovers.

• Clark led all scorers with 22 points for UMass, while Davis and Hinds added 18 each.
• Lewis added five assists and three steals for VCU.
• Johnson added 13 points while Mo Alie-Cox contributed 10 points and four rebounds for the Rams.
• VCU shot 46 percent (23-of-50) in the game, but was just 5-of-20 from 3-point range.

• It was truly a tale of two halves for VCU. The Rams turned the ball over 11 times in the first half, but just four in the second. UMass built its 15-point lead on the back of 8-of-8 three-point shooting, but was 2-of-9 from deep the rest of the way.

WHAT'S NEXT

• VCU returns home to meet Saint Louis on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 6 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. CBS Sports will broadcast that contest.