Score: Richmond 77, VCU 59
Location: Richmond, Va. (Robins Center)
Records: VCU 17-8 (7-5 A-10), Richmond 19-6 (9-3)

The short story: Junior forward Marcus Santos-Silva posted his eighth double-double of the season for VCU, but it wasn't enough for the Rams to hold off surging Richmond Saturday at the Robins Center.

OPENING TIP

• Santos-Silva provided 14 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two assists to the VCU cause. He finished 6-of-11 from the floor and 2-of-3 at the free throw line. He scored 10 points and grabbed all 12 of his boards in the second half as the Rams attempted to mount a comeback
• Senior guard Issac Vann added 10 points and three steals for VCU, while classmate De'Riante Jenkins provided nine points and five rebounds
• Nick Sherod led five Spiders in double figures with a game-high 23 points. He hit 5-of-7 from 3-point range

THE DIFFERENCE

• Richmond connected on 7-of-12 three-pointers and outrebounded VCU 22-12 in the first half on the way to a 42-24 lead. Sherod buried his first four 3-point attempts in the first 12 minutes of the game to spur Richmond to a 26-13 advantage they would never relinquish
• VCU scored the first five points of the second half, including a 3-pointer by freshman guard Bones Hyland, to cut Richmond's lead to 42-29 with 19:01 left. The Spiders promptly responded with a 12-2 burst, punctuated by a steal and breakaway layup by Jacob Gilyard, to push the margin to 54-31 with 14:53 remaining. VCU never recovered
• Richmond shot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field, including 11-of-22 from beyond the arc, while VCU shot just 34 percent (24-of-70) in the game, including 4-of-21 from three

NOTABLE

• VCU sophomore forward Vince Williams scored seven points and hauled in seven rebounds in his first career start for the Rams
• Rams' senior guard Marcus Evans missed Saturday's game with a knee injury
• VCU leads the all-time series with Richmond 54-31
• The Rams outrebounded the Spiders 28-17 in the second half
• Santos-Silva has recorded 14 career double-doubles and is three away from breaking into VCU's career top 10

NEXT UP
VCU will host sixth-ranked Dayton on Tuesday, Feb. 18 at 8:30 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.