Box Score Score: Charleston 83, VCU 79
Location: Richmond, Va. (E.J. Wade Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Attendance: 7,637 (123rd consecutive sellout)
The short story: Junior guard De'Riante Jenkins led VCU with a season-high 23 points on 9-of-19 shooting, but the Rams fell just short of Charleston 83-79 Saturday.
OPENING TIP
- Jenkins scored 23 points and added two steals in 28 minutes of action.
- Sophomore forward Marcus Santos-Silva contributed his second double-double in three games with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He also supplied three blocks and two steals for the Rams.
- VCU freshman forward Vince Williams scored a season-high 13 points and added five rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting in just over 20 minutes of action
- Charleston was led by the combo of guard Grant Riller and forward Jarrell Brantley, who scored 30 and 26 points, respectively. Brantley also provided 17 rebounds while shooting 12-of-15 from the free throw line.
THE DIFFERENCE
- The Rams pulled within two twice in the closing moments, but Charleston hit four straight free throws to close out the contest.
- Riller made a number of big plays for the Cougars, but none bigger than back-to-back buckets, including a 3-pointer from the corner with 3:53 left, to give Charleston a 73-65 advantage.
- With VCU trailing 59-49 with 8:59 left in the second half, guard Marcus Evans made two free throws to spark a 10-2 Rams run that left VCU down 61-59 with just over six minutes remaining in the game.
- VCU jumped out to an 8-2 lead in the opening minutes, but Charleston led 32-28 at the half.
- The Rams shot 6-of-27 from beyond the 3-point arc
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- The Rams shot 42.2% (27-of-64) from the field including 53.1% (17-of-32) in the second half.
- VCU turned 23 Charleston turnovers into 21 points and owned a 12-9 advantage in second chance points
- VCU turned Charleston over a season-high 23 times and totaled 12 steals
- The Rams outscored Charleston 42-28 in points in the paint
- The Rams held a 22-10 advantage in bench points
WHAT'S NEXT
VCU returns to action on Saturday, Dec. 22 when the Rams host Wichita State at the Stuart C. Siegel Center at 4:00 p.m. ESPN2 will televise the contest.
