Philly teams man. I don’t know what it is, but there is just something about VCU and Philly teams.
In a rematch of last year’s double-overtime win in Philly, the La Salle Explorers exacted revenge tonight, downing VCU, 74-69, in a double-OT road win of their own.
Playing without the services of leading scorer Treveon Graham, the Rams were ice cold from the field, connecting on just 30.1% of their attempts in the loss while managing just 69 points in 50 minutes of action. VCU was 3-23 from long range.
JeQuan Lewis scored 26 of those points while hitting two of VCU’s deep balls in the loss. VCU’s new starting point guard left it all on the floor, going 7-16 from the field but was able to convert a number of those misses into easy points at the free throw stripe where he was 10-11 on the evening.
Melvin Johnson was VCU’s only other double-digit scorer in the extended game, adding 13 points but was just 5-15 from the field.
VCU had just six assists on the night to La Salle 14. The Explorers hit 45.2% of their attempts and went 37.5% from deep.
Explorers guard, Jordan Price, a newly eligible transfer from Auburn, scored the Rams for 34 points of his own. Price scored all 12 of La Salle’s points in the second overtime.
The loss was the Rams second in a row and third out of four games.
Oddly enough, VCU remains tied for first in the Atlantic 10 due to an upset loss by Rhode Island. The Rams sit at 8-3 in conference play, tied with Rhody, Dayton and UMass. VCU holds a head-to-head tie-breaker over URI and hosts both Dayton and UMass in the only games they play this season, leaving the Rams still technically in control of their own destiny to win an Atlantic 10 regular season championship.
VCU travels George Washington this Saturday to take on the Colonials in a rematch of the Rams 24-point win earlier this season. GW will be looking for a bounce-back win as well, as Mike Lonergan’s squad will be coming of a 16-point road loss suffered tonight at Duquesne.
