Virginia Commonwealth University

Score: VCU 77, Old Dominion 54
Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 5-2, Old Dominion 2-2
 
The story: VCU utilized a 21-4 first-half run, fueled by suffocating defense and lights-out shooting beyond the arc, to down rival Old Dominion 77-54 in a wire-to-wire win Saturday night at the Stuart C. Seigel Center.
 
OPENING TIP

• Sophomore guard Bones Hyland paced the Rams with 15 points and six steals
• Junior forward Vince Williams Jr. chipped in 11 points, knocking down 4-6 free throws and collecting eight boards
• Freshman forward Mikeal Brown-Jones totaled 10 points on a perfect 3-for-3 shooting from the field and grabbed five rebounds

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU forced 17 ODU turnovers and held the Monarchs to 39 percent (21-of-54) shooting in the game. Old Dominion was 3-of-15 from beyond the 3-point arc in the game
• The Rams separated from the Monarchs early in the contest with a 21-4 run that included four 3-pointers and gave VCU a commanding 28-10 lead with 5:36 left in the half  
• VCU missed its first five 3-pointers in the game, but proceeded to knock down five of its next six attempts as it build its lead
• VCU's depth shown through as the Rams outscored the Monarchs 34-18 in bench points
• The Rams crashed the boards hard and won the rebounding battle by a 40-29 margin

NOTABLE

• The Rams held the Monarchs scoreless for the first 5:38 of the game. The duration is the longest an opponent has failed to score an opening bucket since Jacksonville State took five minutes and 55 seconds on Nov. 17, 2019.
• VCU improves to 52-44 all time against Old Dominion including 3-1 in the Mike Rhoades era
• VCU totaled 30+ points in the paint for the sixth time this season
• Hyland tallied a career-high six steals. In addition, the sophomore guard has scored in double figures for 10-straight games, dating back to the 2019-20 season
• Williams scored 10+ points and grabbed 5+ rebounds for the second time this season and the fourth time in his career

 
UP NEXT
VCU will close out its four-game homestand against Western Carolina 7 p.m. ET Tuesday at the Siegel Center. The game will air on MASN and ESPN+.