VCU locked up at least a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season title on Tuesday night, using a dominant first half from Max Shulga and a second-half surge from Zeb Jackson to secure a 71-62 road win over Duquesne.
Duquesne’s defense forced VCU into tough looks early, holding the Rams to just 3-16 shooting inside the arc at one point. But Shulga kept VCU afloat, scoring 15 of the Rams’ first 30 points as they fought to build a cushion.
A 10-2 run put VCU in control late in the half, highlighted by Jack Clark’s defensive rebound and full-court lob to Joe Bamisile for a transition layup. Moments later, with 55 seconds left in the half, Clark drilled a three from the corner off a Shulga assist, pushing VCU’s lead to 10—their largest of the night up to this point.
VCU took a 37-29 lead into halftime, as Duquesne went 0-7 from deep in the opening period.
Edwards took over for Duquesne, scoring 11 straight points to trim the Rams’ lead to just four. But Zeb Jackson stepped up in the clutch, draining a three at 11:44 to halt an 11-1 Duquesne run. Moments later, Jackson was fouled on another three-point attempt and calmly knocked down all three free throws, scoring six straight points to extend VCU’s lead back to nine.
With 6:02 remaining, Russell Phillips suffered an ankle injury and had to be helped back to the locker room. Duquesne got to choose his free-throw replacement, and Christian Fermin stepped up and knocked down both shots, giving VCU crucial points down the stretch.
Jackson continued to take over, burying another three at the 5:31 mark to push VCU’s lead to 12. He finished with 16 points, including 14 in the second half, leading the Rams to victory.
With 32 seconds left, Jackson put the game away with a dagger three, sealing VCU’s ninth straight win.
FIRST HALF
After a back-and-forth start that saw three lead changes in the first 10 minutes, VCU strung together an 8-0 run to take an 18-12 lead. Duquesne’s Max Edwards responded with six straight points, tying the game at 18.Duquesne’s defense forced VCU into tough looks early, holding the Rams to just 3-16 shooting inside the arc at one point. But Shulga kept VCU afloat, scoring 15 of the Rams’ first 30 points as they fought to build a cushion.
A 10-2 run put VCU in control late in the half, highlighted by Jack Clark’s defensive rebound and full-court lob to Joe Bamisile for a transition layup. Moments later, with 55 seconds left in the half, Clark drilled a three from the corner off a Shulga assist, pushing VCU’s lead to 10—their largest of the night up to this point.
VCU took a 37-29 lead into halftime, as Duquesne went 0-7 from deep in the opening period.
SECOND HALF
Duquesne hit its first three-pointer of the night at the 16:31 mark, but VCU still led 45-31. However, the Dukes quickly responded with an 8-0 run over 1:23, cutting the lead to 45-39 at the 15:19 mark.Edwards took over for Duquesne, scoring 11 straight points to trim the Rams’ lead to just four. But Zeb Jackson stepped up in the clutch, draining a three at 11:44 to halt an 11-1 Duquesne run. Moments later, Jackson was fouled on another three-point attempt and calmly knocked down all three free throws, scoring six straight points to extend VCU’s lead back to nine.
With 6:02 remaining, Russell Phillips suffered an ankle injury and had to be helped back to the locker room. Duquesne got to choose his free-throw replacement, and Christian Fermin stepped up and knocked down both shots, giving VCU crucial points down the stretch.
Jackson continued to take over, burying another three at the 5:31 mark to push VCU’s lead to 12. He finished with 16 points, including 14 in the second half, leading the Rams to victory.
With 32 seconds left, Jackson put the game away with a dagger three, sealing VCU’s ninth straight win.
NOTABLE STATS
- Max Shulga: 22 PTS (5-9 FG, 3-5 3PT, 9-11 FT), 4 REB, 2 AST, 3 STL
- Zeb Jackson: 16 PTS (5-12 FG, 3-6 3PT, 3-3 FT), 4 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL (14 PTS in the second half)
- Jack Clark: Career-high 14 REB, 7 PTS, 3 AST
