Score: VCU 71, La Salle 65
Location: Philadelphia, Pa. (Tom Gola Arena)
Records: VCU 10-7 (2-2 Atlantic 10), La Salle (10-7, 1-3)
 
The short story: Graduate wing Sean Bairstow handed out a career-high 12 assists, and graduate forward Kuany Kuany buried a pair of late 3-pointers to lift VCU Saturday at La Salle.
 
OPENING TIP

• Bairstow recorded his first double-double in a VCU uniform with 14 points to go along with his 12 assists. He knocked down 4-of-5 attempts from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line
• Kuany knocked down all three of his 3-point attempts in the game and finished with 14 points, all in the second half
• Sophomore forward Christian Fermin added 12 points and four rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting, while senior guard Max Shulga provided 13 points and nine rebounds for the Black and Gold. Sophomore forward Tobi Lawal kicked in nine points and 10 rebounds off the bench
• Jhamir Brickus led all players with 20 points for La Salle

THE DIFFERENCE

• Lawal slammed home a feed from Bairstow with 1:36 remaining to give the Rams a 64-62 lead. Kuany buried a triple from the left corner on the Rams' next possession to push  VCU to a five-point cushion with 58 seconds on the clock. VCU would not trail again, but Brickus hit a 3-pointer with 48 ticks left to trim the Rams' lead to 67-65. But Bairstow found Lawal for another dunk on VCU's ensuing possession. A La Salle turnover effectively snuffed out the Explorers' comeback chances with 21 seconds remaining
• Kuany hit three 3-pointers in the second half, including one at the 6:40 mark that provided VCU with a 55-49 advantage
• The Rams held La Salle to 34 percent (22-of-65) shooting in the game, including 26 percent (6-of-23) from the 3-point line
• VCU shot 48 percent (23-of-48) in the contest and connected on 6-of-13 three-pointers
• The Rams trailed by as many as seven in the first half, at 22-15, but a Bairstow 3-pointer from the left wing kicked off a 7-0 run. The game remained close the rest of the afternoon

NOTABLE

• VCU has now won back-to-back road contests
• The Rams improved to 13-2 all-time against La Salle and are now 7-0 at Tom Gola Arena
• Bairstow's 12 assists are the most by a Ram since JeQuan Lewis handed out 12 against Princeton on Nov. 29, 2016

NEXT UP
VCU will host Saint Louis in a nationally televised matchup on Friday, Jan. 19 at 7 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. The game will air on ESPN2.