The battle for the Atlantic 10's automatic NCAA Tournament bid started with a statement from VCU’s Phillip Russell, who opened the scoring with a jumper. Moments later, a George Mason turnover led to a Russell three-pointer, and he was fouled on the shot. He completed the four-point play, scoring the Rams’ first six points.
George Mason responded, tying the game at 6-6 at the 16:42 mark. Joe Bamisile answered with a tough layup through contact to give the Rams an 8-6 edge. Jack Clark then put his stamp on the game, scoring six straight points, including a three-pointer and a layup plus a free throw, pushing VCU ahead 14-10 with 12:18 remaining.
Midway through the first half, VCU dominated in transition, racking up 12 fastbreak points to Mason’s 2. However, the Patriots controlled the paint early, scoring 10 of their first 18 points inside.
A turning point came when Russell was called for a Flagrant 1, allowing Mason to hit four free throws and tie the game. The Patriots regained possession but failed to capitalize. At 4:17, Mason’s KD Johnson picked up his second foul, sending Clark to the line for a 1-and-1. Clark converted both free throws to put VCU back on top, 26-24.
The Rams entered the bonus in the final four minutes, and Clark added two more free throws to extend the lead to 28-24. A held-ball situation at 3:01 led to deadball contact technical fouls on VCU’s Christian Fermin and Mason’s Jalen Haynes.
Bamisile picked up his third foul with 2:45 left in the half, but Clark drilled a triple from the wing at 1:44 to make it 33-28. As time wound down, Zeb Jackson launched a deep three, and Luke Bamgboye tipped the rebound to Max Shulga, who beat the buzzer with a putback, giving VCU its largest lead of the night at the break, 36-28.
Clark led all scorers with 13 first-half points, while VCU set a new single-season school record for blocks with his swat in the final minutes of the half. The half was a foul-heavy affair, with 21 total fouls compared to just 19 made field goals.
Second Half
Bamisile kept the Rams rolling, converting an and-one at 15:12 to make it 42-36. On the next possession, he finished another three-point play, stretching the lead to 45-36—VCU’s largest lead thus far.
George Mason responded with back-to-back threes, cutting the deficit to just two points with 12:08 to play as part of a 7-0 run over two minutes. The Rams, however, found a spark from their defense. Bamgboye’s fourth block of the night led to a transition play where Clark stole an offensive rebound from Mason, and Shulga drilled his first three of the game at 11:22 to restore an eight-point lead.
Clark continued to deliver, sinking a deep three at the 9:08 mark to cap an 8-0 Rams run, extending the lead back to double digits.
Mason refused to back down, unleashing another 7-0 burst to close the gap to 53-50 with just over five minutes remaining. Shulga was fouled on a three-point attempt as the shot clock expired at the 4:45 mark, sinking two free throws to make it 55-50. Mason answered with a triple at 4:08, once again pulling within two.
With 2:25 left, Mason hit a contested three at the shot clock buzzer, cutting the Rams' lead to just one point. But Shulga stepped up again, drilling a clutch three at 1:59 to give VCU a four-point cushion.
On the next possession, Bamgboye grabbed an offensive board and powered home a putback dunk with 1:26 left, pushing the Rams ahead 64-60. Mason’s Haynes split a pair of free throws with 1:07 remaining, leaving VCU up three with the ball.
Shulga calmly sank two free throws with 52 seconds left, making it a five-point game. Mason had a chance to force overtime at the buzzer, but their desperation three rattled out, sealing VCU’s 68-63 victory and their first A-10 Tournament title since 2023.
By the Numbers
Top Performers
Up Next
With the win, VCU improves to 28-6 overall. The Rams now await Selection Sunday to see who they will face in the NCAA Tournament. This marks VCU’s first NCAA appearance since the 2022-23 season and their seventh since the 2015 seasons, but the first under head coach Ryan Odom.
George Mason responded, tying the game at 6-6 at the 16:42 mark. Joe Bamisile answered with a tough layup through contact to give the Rams an 8-6 edge. Jack Clark then put his stamp on the game, scoring six straight points, including a three-pointer and a layup plus a free throw, pushing VCU ahead 14-10 with 12:18 remaining.
Midway through the first half, VCU dominated in transition, racking up 12 fastbreak points to Mason’s 2. However, the Patriots controlled the paint early, scoring 10 of their first 18 points inside.
A turning point came when Russell was called for a Flagrant 1, allowing Mason to hit four free throws and tie the game. The Patriots regained possession but failed to capitalize. At 4:17, Mason’s KD Johnson picked up his second foul, sending Clark to the line for a 1-and-1. Clark converted both free throws to put VCU back on top, 26-24.
The Rams entered the bonus in the final four minutes, and Clark added two more free throws to extend the lead to 28-24. A held-ball situation at 3:01 led to deadball contact technical fouls on VCU’s Christian Fermin and Mason’s Jalen Haynes.
Bamisile picked up his third foul with 2:45 left in the half, but Clark drilled a triple from the wing at 1:44 to make it 33-28. As time wound down, Zeb Jackson launched a deep three, and Luke Bamgboye tipped the rebound to Max Shulga, who beat the buzzer with a putback, giving VCU its largest lead of the night at the break, 36-28.
Clark led all scorers with 13 first-half points, while VCU set a new single-season school record for blocks with his swat in the final minutes of the half. The half was a foul-heavy affair, with 21 total fouls compared to just 19 made field goals.
Second Half
Bamisile kept the Rams rolling, converting an and-one at 15:12 to make it 42-36. On the next possession, he finished another three-point play, stretching the lead to 45-36—VCU’s largest lead thus far.
George Mason responded with back-to-back threes, cutting the deficit to just two points with 12:08 to play as part of a 7-0 run over two minutes. The Rams, however, found a spark from their defense. Bamgboye’s fourth block of the night led to a transition play where Clark stole an offensive rebound from Mason, and Shulga drilled his first three of the game at 11:22 to restore an eight-point lead.
Clark continued to deliver, sinking a deep three at the 9:08 mark to cap an 8-0 Rams run, extending the lead back to double digits.
Mason refused to back down, unleashing another 7-0 burst to close the gap to 53-50 with just over five minutes remaining. Shulga was fouled on a three-point attempt as the shot clock expired at the 4:45 mark, sinking two free throws to make it 55-50. Mason answered with a triple at 4:08, once again pulling within two.
With 2:25 left, Mason hit a contested three at the shot clock buzzer, cutting the Rams' lead to just one point. But Shulga stepped up again, drilling a clutch three at 1:59 to give VCU a four-point cushion.
On the next possession, Bamgboye grabbed an offensive board and powered home a putback dunk with 1:26 left, pushing the Rams ahead 64-60. Mason’s Haynes split a pair of free throws with 1:07 remaining, leaving VCU up three with the ball.
Shulga calmly sank two free throws with 52 seconds left, making it a five-point game. Mason had a chance to force overtime at the buzzer, but their desperation three rattled out, sealing VCU’s 68-63 victory and their first A-10 Tournament title since 2023.
By the Numbers
- Shooting: VCU shot 40.4% (19-47) from the field, 32.0% (8-25) from three, and 81.5% (22-27) at the line, while Mason hit 33.9% (19-56) overall, 42.9% (9-21) from deep, and 84.2% (16-19) on free throws.
- Defense: The Rams recorded nine blocks—with Bamgboye swatting four—and seven steals.
- Rebounding: VCU won the battle 36-33, including 11 offensive boards leading to 10 second-chance points.
- Fastbreak Points: The Rams had a 12-8 advantage.
- Turnovers: VCU forced 11 turnovers, converting them into 15 points, while Mason scored 16 off 16 VCU turnovers.
- Lead Changes: VCU never trailed in this contest.
Top Performers
- Max Shulga: 18 pts, 4 reb, 8-9 FT, 2-6 3PT
- Jack Clark: 17 pts, 6 reb, 3-5 3PT, 6-7 FT
- Joe Bamisile: 17 pts, 3 reb, 4-6 FT
- Luke Bamgboye: 5 pts, 8 reb, 4 blocks
Up Next
With the win, VCU improves to 28-6 overall. The Rams now await Selection Sunday to see who they will face in the NCAA Tournament. This marks VCU’s first NCAA appearance since the 2022-23 season and their seventh since the 2015 seasons, but the first under head coach Ryan Odom.
