Final Score:  Saint Joseph's 79, VCU 41

Location: Philadelphia, Pa. (Hagan Arena)

Records: VCU 3-10 (0-1 A-10), Saint Joseph's 6-7 (1-0 A-10)

The Short Story: VCU trailed Saint Joseph's just 32-23 at halftime but the Hawks shot 56 percent in the second half and were able to outscore the Rams 47-18 down the stretch. The game was the Atlantic 10 opener for both teams.

QUICK FACTS

• Tera Reed led VCU with 12 points and tied for the team lead with five rebounds.
• Taya Robinson had six points and four boards.
• Sydnei Archie also pulled in five rebounds while adding two points.
• Saint Joseph's had a 48-23 rebounding edge including a 13-6 advantage in offensive boards but VCU only trailed 6-4 in second chance points.
• The Rams forced 15 Saint Joseph's turnovers with 12 of them coming in the first half.
• The Hawks shot 50.8 percent from the field while the Rams shot just 26.8 percent.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The game opened evenly and VCU got on the board first with a basket from Reed.
• The two teams traded buckets until Saint Joseph's held a 12-10 lead with 3:36 left in the quarter.
• Both teams went scoreless for almost two minutes until the Hawks got a layup to end the first frame with a 14-10 lead.
• The Hawks led 18-14 before a 7-0 run put them ahead 25-14 with 5:21 left before halftime.
• The Rams kept the Hawks within striking distance and trailed just 32-23 at the half.
• Saint Joseph's got the first two baskets of the second half before VCU went on a 7-0 run to cut the deficit to just 36-30 with 4:43 left in the third quarter.
• The Hawks outscored the Rams 43-11 for the remainder of the contest to take the victory.

WHAT'S NEXT

VCU returns home to face George Washington at 6 p.m. on Jan. 3.