Score: VCU 60, Mount St. Mary's 42
Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 3-2, Mount St. Mary's 1-3
 
The short story: VCU used a 23-2 first-half run, capped by back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore guard Bones Hyland, to separate from the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers and earn a 60-42 win Saturday afternoon at the Siegel Center.
 
OPENING TIP 

• Hyland poured in a team-high 14 points and collected two steals to pace the Rams. He was 4-of-8 from 3-point range
• Senior forward Levi Stockard III chipped in eight points on 4-of-6 shooting
• Freshman guard Ace Baldwin showed his versatility, grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists and recording two steals
• Dakota Leffew paced Mount St. Mary's with 14 points

 THE DIFFERENCE

• With the score tied a 12-12 midway through the first half, sophomore forward Hason Ward swiped the ball away from Mountaineers forward František Barton. VCU freshman forward Mikeal Brown-Jones converted the turnover into a one-handed dunk on the other end and kicked off a run that stretched to 17-0 and eventually 23-2. Hyland provided 11 of those 23. VCU was never seriously threatened again
• VCU scored 26 points off 22 Mount St. Mary's turnovers
• The Rams dominated in the paint, outscoring the Mountaineers 30-18 down low

NOTABLE

• The Rams have won 16-straight home openers dating back to the 2003-04 season
• VCU's 17 steals were the most recorded by a Ram's team since Dec. 12, 2015 (Buffalo)
• VCU improved to 4-0 all-time against Mount St. Mary's
• Hyland scored in double figures for the fifth-straight game to open the season

NEXT UP
VCU will play host to North Carolina A&T on Wednesday, Dec. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center. That game will be broadcast on MASN2.