Final Score: UMass 66, VCU 57
Location: Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center)
Records: VCU 14-9 (9-4 Atlantic 10), UMass 22-6 (10-4 Atlantic 10)
 
The Short Story: VCU trailed UMass just 56-54 with 4:59 remaining but the Minutewomen ended the game on a 9-3 run to seal the win.
 
OPENING TIP:

• Taya Robinson scored a team-high 16 points along with five rebounds and four assists
• Sarah Te-Biasu had 12 points with a team-high six rebounds and four assists
• Chloe Bloom and Janika Griffith each had nine points
• UMass shot 47.2 percent from the field while the Rams shot 40.7 percent
• The Minutewomen were led by Sydney Taylor scored 23 points   
• VCU had its six-game winning streak snapped in the loss

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• UMass jumped out to a 7-0 lead less than two minutes into the contest. The Rams trailed 16-7 before ending the quarter on a 5-0 run after a Robinson 3-pointer and a steal and layup from Griffith Wallace to make it 16-12
• The Minutewomen led VCU 25-20 with 5:13 left before halftime before a 7-0 run that was capped off by a Te-Biasu 3-pointer gave the Rams' their first lead of the game at 27-25
• The teams traded baskets to end the half with UMass holding a slim 31-29 advantage
• The third quarter was tightly contested with five ties and two lead changes. VCU took a 44-43 lead on a Chloe Bloom layup with 2:59 left in the third quarter but the Minutewomen led 52-47 heading into the final 10 minutes
• The Rams cut the deficit to two points twice during the fourth quarter but were unable to tie the game or retake the lead. UMass scored eight of the game's final nine points.

 
UP NEXT:
VCU hosts Richmond for Senior Day and the regular season finale on Saturday, Feb. 26 for a 1 p.m. tipoff. The game is presented by Wayforth and will stream on ESPN+ and air locally on CBS 6.3.