Score: VCU 80, Saint Joseph's 64
Location: Philadelphia, Pa. (Hagan Arena)
Records: VCU 8-2 (1-0 A-10), Saint Joseph's 0-6 (0-1)
 
The short story: Junior forward Vince Williams supplied a career-high 17 points and VCU forced 25 turnovers on the way to an 80-64 win over Saint Joseph's in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both schools.
 
OPENING TIP

• Williams led five Rams in double figures and connected on 6-of-11 attempts from the field. The Toledo, Ohio native added seven rebounds and three assists
• Freshman point guard Ace Baldwin provided 12 points, four rebounds and four steals, while senior Levi Stockard III, junior KeShawn Curry and freshman Jamir Watkins added 10 points each for the Black & Gold
• Dahmir Bishop led all players with 20 points for Saint Joseph's

THE DIFFERENCE

• Baldwin sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a triple from Watkins to fuel a 17-0 VCU blitz over an eight-minute stretch in the first half that provided the Rams with a 29-22 lead
• VCU forced a season-high 25 turnovers and turned them into 29 points
• The Hawks hit four straight 3-pointers to storm to an 18-8 lead in the game, but shot 3-of-20 from long distance the rest of the way
• Saint Joseph's shot .321 (9-of-28) in the second half
• VCU shot .464 (26-of-56) in the game, including .412 (8-of-19) from 3-point range

NOTABLE

• VCU has forced 15 or more turnovers in all 10 games this season
• The Rams recorded five players in double figures for the first time since Jan. 28 last season against Richmond
• VCU has won a season-high six straight games
• The Rams have shot .455 or better from the field in five straight contests

NEXT UP
VCU will open 2021 when it hosts Davidson on Saturday, Jan. 2 at the Siegel Center. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.