RAMS DOMINATE IN THE PAINT TO SINK NAVY, 74-52

RAMS DOMINATE IN THE PAINT TO SINK NAVY, 74-52 | VCU Athletics

By Press release submission

Dec 23, 2022

RAMS DOMINATE IN THE PAINT TO SINK NAVY, 74-52

The short story: Redshirt sophomore forward Jamir Watkins and sophomore forward Jalen DeLoach were a dynamic duo in the paint, combining for 36 of VCU's 74 points to help the Rams sail past the Midshipmen. VCU has won a season-high four straight games.

OPENING TIP

DeLoach scored a career-high 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with six rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals
Watkins also notched 18 points on 7-of-13 from the field, including a perfect 3-of-3 from the free throw line
Junior guard Ace Baldwin Jr. did a superb job of dishing the ball out to his teammates, leading the team with eight assists
Junior guard Zeb Jackson, senior forward David Shriver, and sophomore guard Nick Kern Jr. added nine, eight, and seven points respectively to the Rams' total
Tyler Nelson buoyed the Midshipmen effort with 17 points and eight rebounds

THE DIFFERENCE

Early on, it looked like it would be a smooth voyage for Navy, as the Midshipmen got out to a 11-0 run in the first 3:48 of the game. The Black and Gold, however, roared back with a 20-4 run over the course of 6:14, capped by back-to-back three-pointers by sophomore guard Jayden Nunn
After Navy put up the first five points of the second half to draw within two, the Rams went on a 10-0 run for 3:08. Shriver got the ball rolling with a three-pointer, and then Watkins and DeLoach combined for the next seven Rams points
The Rams' dominance inside was their key to success, outscoring Navy in the paint 46-24
VCU also had a good night shooting the ball, connecting on 29-of-56 (52 percent) from the field compared to Navy's 20-of-55 (36 percent)
The Black and Gold also got more production out of their bench than the Midshipmen, with the Rams' outscoring Navy's bench 27-14

NOTABLE

With the victory, VCU remains undefeated all-time against Navy at 3-0, with the previous victories coming in 1979 and 1980
Navy's 52 points were the fewest scored by a VCU opponent this season, the previous low being 54 points by Morgan State back on Nov. 12
The Rams gave up only nine turnovers, the second-lowest total of the season and only the second game with single-digit turnovers

Original source can be found here

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