ore: Penn State 78, VCU 66
Location: Henrico, Va. (Henrico Sports & Events Center)
Records: VCU 4-9, Penn State 7-4
 
The short story: VCU trailed Penn State just 57-53 with 2:54 remaining in the third quarter but an 19-5 run by the Nittany Lions allowed them to pull away late.

OPENING TIP:

• Daija Preston paced VCU with 17 points and seven rebounds
• Tanya Tkachenko had 13 points and four rebounds
• Katarina Kneževic was the third Ram in double figures with 10 points
• VCU shot 42.9 percent from the field while Penn State shot 39.2 percent
• The Nittany Lions held a 19-8 advantage in second chance points and a 24-16 edge in points off turnovers
• Penn State was led by Kiyomi McMiller who had 17 points and eight rebounds

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• VCU took an early 6-2 lead with 8:02 remaining in the first quarter but Penn State answered with 15-2 run to lead 15-8 with 2:29 remaining. The Rams trailed 23-14 at the end of the first
• The Rams fell behind 34-20 with 5:48 left but VCU used an 11-0 run powered by a pair of Kneževic 3-pointers to get within 34-31
• Penn State led VCU 41-34 at the half and held a 15-6 edge in points off turnovers at the break
• The Rams got within 57-53 on a Tkachenko jumper with 2:54 left in the third quarter but a Penn State run proved to be too much for VCU to overcome

UP NEXT:
VCU turns back to Atlantic 10 play and travels to Saint Joseph's for a game on Dec. 31 at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.