Score: VCU 70, Radford 62
Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 7-4, Radford 6-5
 
The short story: Led by Graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr.'s 18 points and a 23-5 second-half run, VCU pulled away from Radford in the second half to secure its second straight victory.
 
OPENING TIP

• Johns was 6-of-9 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the free throw line to lead VCU
• Sophomore forward Jalen Deloach notched 15 points, one shy of tying his career-high. He's reached double figures in three straight games
• Junior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. followed closely behind in his first game back from a wrist injury with 10 points and six assists help round out VCU's offense
• Redshirt-sophomore Jamir Watkins controlled the boards for VCU with a career-high 11 rebounds
• The Rams used their strong defense to help propel them to victory. VCU held Radford to a season-worst 39 percent (22-of-57) shooting effort from the field
• The Highlanders were led by Ken Giles who scored 13 points and Daquan Smith, who scored 11

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU trailed by as many as eight points in the second half, at 40-32 with 15:10 remaining. But the Rams used a 23-5 blitz over a six-minute span to take command. DeLoach converted a go-ahead layup at the 9:52 mark, and Baldwin buried a pull-up 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to give the Rams a 49-45 edge with 9:20 remaining. Johns followed with four straight points to make it 53-45 with 7:20 showing
• VCU led by as many as five points in the first half but Radford managed to take a 28-26 lead into intermission
• VCU shot 49 percent (22-of-45) from the floor in the game, including 67 percent (12-of-18) in the second half
• Radford cut the lead down to six points with 30 seconds remaining thanks to a Ken Giles 3-pointer but VCU managed to convert all four of its free throw opportunities down the stretch to shore up the victory

NOTABLE

• The Rams improved to 6-1 at home this season
• VCU, which entered the game sixth nationally in free throw attempts, converted 23-of-31 (74 percent) Wednesday night

QUOTABLES
"We just played harder than them the whole second half. We just wanted it more." – Jalen DeLoach on VCU's second-half play
 
"That boy is an animal out there, so like me and him, it's scary out. I love it." – DeLoach on Brandon Johns Jr.
 
"Proud of our guys in the second half down the stretch. I just thought we played harder and tougher at the 10-minute mark. I think at one point, we had nine straight stops, so I'm really proud of our approach on the defensive end. If we didn't have some bonehead fouls at the end, we probably would have kept them in the low fifties, but just thought a lot of different guys contributed and so I was really proud of our resolve, especially in the second half. Credit to Radford. They're a good team, and this game is going to make us better. Happy we won the game, and we got a lot of work to do. Onward." – VCU Head Coach Mike Rhoades
 
UP NEXT
The Rams play game four of their six-game homestand when Northern Illinois comes to the Siegel Center on Saturday, Dec. 17 at 4 p.m. That game will air on MASN and ESPN+.