Score: VCU 80, George Washington 72
Location: Washington, D.C. (Smith Center)
Records: VCU 20-5 (10-2 Atlantic 10), George Washington 16-9 (5-7)
 
The short story: Graduate forward Jack Clark led four VCU players in double figures with 18 points as the Rams overcame a slow start to race past George Washington Wednesday night in the Nation's Capital.
 
OPENING TIP

• Clark connected on 6-of-9 attempts from the field, including 4-of-7 from 3-point range. He added nine rebounds, four assists, two blocks and a steal
• Graduate guard Zeb Jackson added 15 points, four rebounds and three assists off the bench for the Black and Gold. He buried all three of his 3-point attempts and converted 6-of-7 attempts at the free throw line
• VCU graduate guard Joe Bamisile also provided 14 points and five rebounds, while graduate guard Phillip Russell supplied 11 points, four assists and two steals
• Trey Autry led all players with 23 points for George Washington 

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU shot 51 percent (26-of-51) from the field, including 64 percent (14-of-22) in the second half. The Rams knocked down 14-of-28 attempts from 3-point range in the contest
• The Rams held the Revolutionaries to 37 percent (10-of-27) shooting in the second half
• VCU owned a 35-25 rebounding advantage
• The Rams trailed 46-43 with 16:16 remaining, but Clark buried a 3-pointer at the 16:07 mark to ignite a 24-9 VCU run over the next nine minutes. Another Clark 3-pointer with 11:08 left provided the Rams with their first real breathing room of the game at 58-51. A fadeaway jumper in the paint by graduate guard Max Shulga pushed VCU's advantage to 67-55 with 6:44 remaining. GW would pull within 72-68 with 2:05 on the clock, but two Jackson free throws and a baseline drive and dunk by Bamisile cemented the VCU victory
• The Rams fell behind 8-0 and trailed 21-10 the 11:21 mark in the first half. But a Clark layup and a 3-pointer by Russell on consecutive possessions helped kick start the VCU offense. Russell later briefly gave the Rams a 35-34 lead with a 3-pointer with 1:51 left in the first half

NOTABLE

• With Wednesday's win, VCU secured its 20^th victory of the year for the fourth consecutive season
• VCU has won four straight games and 10 of its last 11
• The Rams improved to 19-4 all-time against George Washington
• Bamisile was making his return to the Smith Center for the first time since the 2021-22 season, when he averaged 16.3 points per game for George Washington
• The Rams connected on 14-of-16 free throws. VCU is shooting 78 percent from the line in A-10 play

NEXT UP
VCU will return home to host UMass on Wednesday, Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Stuart C. Siegel Center. That contest will air nationally on CBS Sports Network.