Score: VCU 75, Fordham 60
Location: Bronx, N.Y. (Rose Hill Gymnasium)
Records: VCU 15-8 (7-3 Atlantic 10), Fordham 10-13 (4-6)
 
The short story: Senior guard Max Shulga scored 10 second-half points and logged his first double-double in a VCU uniform as the Black and Gold pulled away for a win at Fordham Tuesday night.
 
OPENING TIP

• Shulga filled up the box score with 13 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and a steal on the way to his fifth career double-double. He connected on 3-of-5 attempts from beyond the 3-point arc in the contest
• Senior guard Joe Bamisile added 13 points for the Black and Gold. He also knocked down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc
•  Graduate wing Sean Bairstow, who missed the past two games with a rib injury, returned to the VCU lineup and provided 12 points, eight rebounds and a pair of assists
• Japhet Medor led Fordham with 17 points

THE DIFFERENCE

• Bamisile and senior guard Zeb Jackson provided a pair of buckets each to spark a 20-4 VCU run to open the second half. By the time freshman swingman Michael Belle canned a 3-pointer from the right corner at the 9:31 mark, VCU's one-point halftime lead had ballooned to 52-35. Shulga supplied a bucket and assisted on two others in VCU's game-changing run. Shulga later scored five straight points, including a pull-up 3-pointer with 6:52 remaining, to expand the Black and Gold's advantage to 62-42
• Shulga finished with 10 second-half points and six assists. He did not commit a turnover in the period
• VCU shot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the field, including 43 percent (9-of-21) from the 3-point line. It also connected on 14-of-16 free throws
• The Black and Gold limited Fordham to 38 percent (23-of-60) shooting in the contest
• VCU also owned a 33-31 rebounding advantage and forced 15 Fordham turnovers
• VCU outscored Fordham 29-16 off turnovers

NOTABLE

• VCU outscored Fordham 34-22 in the paint
• VCU's bench outscored Fordham's 42-17
• The Black and Gold improved to 13-1 all-time against Fordham

NEXT UP
VCU will host 18^th-ranked Dayton on Friday, Feb. 9 at 7 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That contest will air nationally on ESPN2.