Score: Saint Joseph's 66, VCU 60
Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Records: VCU 6-7 (0-1 A-10), Saint Joseph's 10-2 (1-0 A-10)
 
The short story: VCU and Saint Joseph's battled back-and-forth with VCU trailing just 57-56 with 2:44 left in the contest. The game had 10 lead changes and seven ties but Hawks outscored VCU 13-4 down the stretch to win the A-10 opener for both teams.
 
OPENING TIP:

• Valentina Ojeda scored a career-high 21 points, shooting 8-of-9 from the floor and a perfect 3-of-3 from behind the arc
• Grace Hutson had 12 points going 4-of-9 from 3-point range
• Saint Joseph's went 14-of-16 at the free throw line while VCU was just 8-of-11
• VCU shot 41.8 percent from the floor and had a season-low 11 turnovers. The Hawks shot 42.9 percent and had just 10 turnovers
• Saint Joseph's was led by Mackenzie Smith who had 25 points and went 5-of-8 from 3-point range

 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Saint Joseph's took an early 5-2 lead but a 7-0 run from the Rams capped off by an Ojeda layup gave VCU a 9-5 advantage with 5:44 left in the first quarter
• The Hawks outscored the Rams 6-2 over the final 5:44 of the quarter and the game was tied 11-11 heading into the second
• The teams went back-and-forth in the second quarter with three ties and xx lead changes
• VCU led 31-28 at halftime before a 14-2* run by Saint Joseph's gave the Hawks the lead
• After starting 1-of-11 from 3-point range, Joe's went 5-of-6 to take a 44-36 lead as part of a 9-2 run in the third quarter with 6:31 left
• A 3-pointer from Ojeda and a steal and layup from Khalil plus a free throw got the Rams within 52-51 with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter
• 8-0 run capped by Mykel Parham layup gave VCU a 53-52 lead with 4:50 left

 
UP NEXT:
VCU hosts Duquesne on Thursday, Jan. 2 at 6 p.m. at the Siegel Center. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.