Score: George Washington 56, VCU 55

Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)

Records: VCU 13-10 (8-2 A-10), George Washington (10-13, 4-6 A-10)

The short story: After a late rally by VCU, a pair of free throws with just under 10 seconds to play proved to be the difference as George Washington narrowly slipped past VCU on Sunday afternoon.

OPENING TIP

• Tera Reed led all scorers with 17 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
• Senior guard Taya Robinson joined her in double-figures with 12 points, including a 2-for-4 performance from beyond the arc. It's the sixth straight game that she has knocked down multiple 3-pointers.
• Danielle Hammond had seven points, three rebounds and four blocks.
• The Rams won the turnover battle handily by a 17-9 margin and 10 steals.
• VCU also had a 26-20 advantage for points in the paint.
• George Washington didn't have a single double-digit scorer but had nine different players with at least two points.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Rams got off to a fast start, jumping out to a 9-4 lead at 5:56 in the first quarter, but George Washington bounced back to tie things at 16-16.
• In the second quarter, VCU went on a 13-3 run over the first seven minutes to lead 29-19 before the Colonials went on a 7-0 run to pull within 29-26 at halftime.
• Seven different GW players got on the scoresheet in the third quarter as the visitors outscored VCU 17-9 in the third and led 43-38 heading into the fourth.
• It was an all-out battle in the final 10 minutes as the Rams chipped away until two free throws from Hammond gave the Rams a 55-54 lead with 1:49 to go.
• Lexus Levy drew a foul with 9.8 seconds on the clock and hit a pair of clutch free throws to put the Colonials back on top late
• VCU came out of a timeout and got an open look but Reed's 3-point attempt from the top of the key just missed at the buzzer.

NEXT UP

The Rams host St. Bonaventure at Stuart C. Siegel Center for a 6 p.m. tipoff on Thursday, Feb. 13.