Virginia Commonwealth University

Score: Memphis 89, VCU 88
Location: Memphis, Tenn. (FedEx Forum)
Records:  VCU 1-1, Memphis 2-0
 
The short story: Junior guard Blake Harper fueled VCU with 22 points, but Jayden Reid gave Memphis the victory with a pair of free throws with 5.7 seconds remaining Saturday at FedEx Forum.
 
OPENING TIP

• Harper converted on 7-of-14 attempts from the field, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range. He added four assists and three rebounds
• Junior guard Ahmad Nowell also supplied 17 points and seven rebounds for the Black and Gold. Nowell knocked down 3-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc
• Sophomore guard Nyk Lewis kicked in 14 points and seven assists for the Rams
• Reid led all players with 32 points and seven assists for Memphis

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU led by as many as 10 points early in the second half and held an 87-84 edge following a drive and left-handed layup by Nowell with 1:33 remaining. But Reid answered with a 3-pointer from the right wing on the Tigers' next possession to knot the score at 87-all with 1:19 remaining. A VCU free throw supplied the Rams with a brief lead, but with the game clock winding down, Reid drove hard left and drew a foul on the way to the rim. VCU had one final chance, but were unable to connect on a contested jumper at the buzzer
• Memphis made 38 trips to the free throw line and connected on 25
• Reid, a transfer from Northwestern, scored 15 of his 32 points in the second half
• VCU led 48-44 at the half and expanded that advantage to 54-44 at the 18:49 mark after senior forward Michael Belle and junior guard Brandon Jennings converted steals into layups on successive possessions
• Memphis continued to chip away as the second half wore on and eventually tied the game on a Reid triple that made it 76-76 with 7:15 left. From there, the teams traded blows until the final horn
• The Tigers shot .500 (27-of-54) from the field in the game, including .455 (10-of-22) from three. Memphis also forced 13 VCU turnovers and owned a 21-9 advantage in points off turnovers

NOTABLE

• VCU led for all but the final 5.7 seconds of the second half and led for 31:02 of the game
• The contest featured 10 ties and nine lead changes
• The Rams shot .481 (26-of-54) in the game, including 13-of-26 from beyond the arc

NEXT UP
VCU will return home to host NJIT on Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 7 p.m. in a tilt that will air on MASN and ESPN+.