Box Score Score: VCU 69, Howard 66
Location: Richmond, Va. (Siegel Center)
Records: VCU 3-1, Howard 4-1
 
The short story: VCU led for over 36 minutes of the contest but needed Mary-Anna Asare's go-ahead three-point play with 3.8 seconds remaining to put Howard away in the win.
 
OPENING TIP:

• Mary-Anna Asare had a game-high high of 25 points, shooting 9-of-18 from field
• The Rams' 10 3-pointers, 16 assists and 47 rebounds were all season-high marks
• Lucy Ghaifan set a new career-high with 11 rebounds and had four points, going 2-for-4 from the field
• Katarina Kneževic scored 19 points and grabbed seven boards. She shot 50 percent from the field and from 3-point range
• VCU shot 39.7 percent from the floor, going 25-for 63 while Howard shot 32.8 percent.
• The Bison went 25-of-37 from the free throw line while VCU was 9-of-13
• Zennia Thomas led the Bison and tied Asare with a game-high 25 points

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• VCU and Howard traded the lead back and forth in the first quarter, until the Rams pulled away with a 7-2 run to end the period leading 22-15
• The Rams carried a 13-0 scoring run into the second quarter, not allowing Howard to get on the board for the first four minutes to build a 30-15 advantage with 8:07 left before halftime
• Howard went on an 8-2 run to close out the first half but VCU led 35-24 at halftime
• In the third quarter, Howard chipped away at the Rams' lead as VCU held onto a 53-49 advantage going into the final 10 minutes
• The Bison drew a foul to shoot two with 16.5 seconds left and tied the game 66-66
• On the ensuing possession, Asare drove to the basket for a layup with 3.6 seconds remaining and completed the three-point play for the 69-66 final margin

 
UP NEXT:
VCU travels to O'ahu, Hawaii, for a trio of games against Texas A&M (Nov. 22), Colorado (Nov. 24) and UT Arlington (Nov. 25) in the North Shore Showcase. The tournament will be broadcast on BallerTV.