Score: Morgan State 54 VCU 69,
Location: Richmond, Va. (Stuart C. Siegel Center)
Records: Morgan State 1-2  VCU 2-0

The short story: VCU senior forward Brandon Johns Jr. scored a game-high 15 points and converted several critical second-half baskets as VCU pulled away late from Morgan State Saturday night at the Siegel Center.

OPENING TIP

• Johns connected on 6-of-10 from the floor and grabbed four rebounds for VCU
• Senior forward David Shriver and redshirt sophomore Jamir Watkins also scored double figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
• Senior guard Isaiah Burke led the Bears with 12 points. 
• Junior Khalil Turner finished with 11 points with eight rebounds and senior Malik Miller recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds…he also added five assists and three steals to his night.

THE DIFFERENCE

• VCU turned over Morgan State 21 times and scored 26 points off those miscues.
• It was a close and physical first half at the Siegel Center, which saw 20-point favorite VCU lead Morgan State 28-27 when the teams broke for halftime. 
• The Bears led briefly early in the second half before a couple of long VCU runs put the Rams permanently out front. 
• VCU used a 10-0 run, punctuated by a Baldwin 3-pointer, to take a 53-41 lead with 7:42 remaining. The Bears closed within seven, at 57-50, but VCU scored seven straight, including a back-breaking three by Shriver from the left wing to push the Rams ahead 64-50 with 3:19 left.
• VCU shot .500 (24-of-48) from the field, compared to Morgan State's .333 (21-of-63). That advantage carried over to beyond the arc, where the Rams outshot the Bears .368 (7-of-19) to .278 (5-of-18) from 3-point range.
• The Rams' bench players stepped up big, outscoring the Bears' bench 24-16.
• VCU led for 34:08 out of the 40 minutes, while Morgan State only led for 4:02.

NOTABLE

• Saturday night's game marked a return to the Siegel Center for a former VCU player Lewis Djonkam. He started for the Bears, recording four points, one rebound and one steal in 23 minutes of action, but really made his impact setting screens and in positioning on the floor.
• The loss comes two days after a 130-point offensive explosion against Division III school Penn State Greater Allegheny
• This marks the eighth straight win in the Siegel Center for the Rams.
• With the victory, VCU is now 20-2 all-time against teams from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC).

UP NEXT

The Bears hit the road to play the Akron Zips (0-1) on Tuesday, Nov. 15. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.


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ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors of higher education are opened as wide as possible to as many as possible. For more information about Morgan State University, visit www.morgan.edu.