PHOTOS & GAME SUMMARY: VCU Defeat Manhattan

Official VCU Game Summary

The short story: Four VCU players scored in double figures as the Rams built an 18-point halftime lead and kept the visiting Jaspers at bay to start the 2022-23 campaign on a winning note.

OPENING TIP

• Junior guard Ace Baldwin, Jr. led the way with a near double-double, scoring 15 points and dishing out nine assists. His nine assists were one shy of his career-high
• Graduate forward Brandon Johns Jr. and redshirt sophomore forward Jamir Watkins were close behind Baldwin Jr. in scoring, netting 13 points apiece
• Sophomore forward Jalen DeLoach was the fourth and final Ram in double figures, netting 10 points. Additionally, DeLoach was the top rebounder for the Black and Gold with nine boards

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU forced 27 Manhattan turnovers and outscored the Jaspers 17-8 points off of those turnovers
• The Rams picked the Jaspers’ pockets repeatedly with 16 steals
• The Rams led for 37:55 out of the 40 minutes, while Manhattan only led for 22 seconds
• The Rams were tenacious in crashing the offensive glass, securing 11 offensive rebounds to Manhattan’s one. VCU outscored Manhattan 11-2 in second chance points

NOTABLE

• This was the first meeting between the two schools
• With the victory, the Rams are now 17-4 all-time against teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference
• The Black and Gold have now won 17 straight season openers, going all the way back to 2006

UP NEXT
VCU stays at home for their next game this Saturday, Nov. 12 when they play host to Morgan State. Tip-off is at 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on MASN and ESPN+.