In their first game as part of the Legends Classic, VCU (2-0) held on to beat a hot second-half shooting team from in-state, Hampton University, 69-57.
Marcus Santos-Silva used 4-4 shooting in the first half—including a steal that translated to a left-handed dunk—to help VCU rattle off a 11-0 run.
The sophomore big man would lead the Rams in scoring with 16 points on the night.
The Pirates were held without a field goal for nearly 7 minutes of action.
A layup by Ben Stanley at the 9:31 point in the first half was separated by 12 points from the Rams before Austin Colbert would hit a layup with only 2:44 remaining in the half.
The Rams needed every bit of the cushion they built in the first half, as Hampton used a 19-2 run to close the margin to 7 points, 57-50. But that’s as close as the Pirates would get again.
A three-pointer by Marcus Evans would stop a 5 minute scoring drought by the Rams and push their lead back to double digits. Evans scored 9 straight points for the Rams and finished the evening with 13 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.
No other Ram would find double-digit scoring on the night, but every VCU player who saw action scored at least 1 point.
Michael Gilmore lead the Rams with 7 rebounds.
More than half (36) of VCU points came in the paint, and the Rams translated 17 turnovers by the Pirates into 18 points.
VCU returns to action on Monday, Nov. 12th as they take on the Falcons of Bowling Green State University. That game is part of the Legends Classic and will tip-off at 7PM EST.
