VCU's High-Octane Offense, Led by Shulga and Bamisille, Defeats Bellarmine 84-65

RICHMOND, VA: The VCU Rams kicked off their 57th season on Monday, defeating the Bellarmine Knights 84-65. The Rams were led by Max Shulga, who had 19 points and went 6-6 from the field (4-4 on 3-point attempts). Four Rams scored in Double Figures (Phillip Russell 16 points, Jack Clark 11 points, Joe Bamisille 18 points). Joe Bamisile scored his 1,000th point on Monday, joining Max Shulga, Phillip Russell, and Jack Clark as 1,000-point scorers in their collegiate career. The Rams connected on 15 of 29 3-pointers and shot 53% from the field (29-55). The Knights were led by Ben Johnson & Dezmond McKinney, who had 15 points apiece. The Rams were without Zeb Jackson, named A 10 Preseason All-Defensive Team. Jackson suffered a fracture to the fourth metacarpal bone in his left hand. The timetbale for recovery is 4-6 weeks.

Joe Bamisille's thunderous dunks put the Rams on the board in the first 23 seconds of the game. Max Shulga's 3-pointer with 13:05 remaining in the 1st half put the Rams on a 6-0 run as the Rams led 16-8. On the following possession, Dezmond McKinney's layup ended the Rams' 6-0 run. Phillip Russell's 4-point play capped a Rams 7-0 Run as the Rams led 26-15 with 9:26 remaining in the 1st half. The Knights responded with an 8-0 Run to cut the Rams lead to 3 (26-23). The Rams would counter as Max Shulga nailed a pair of Free Throws to put the Rams on a 9-0 run to put the Rams up 35-23 with 4:23 remaining in the 1st half. The Rams had their most significant lead in the 1st half, leading 38-25 with 4:05 remaining. The Knights countered with a 6-0 run to cut the Rams lead to 7 with 2:49 remaining in the 1st half. The Rams led 45-38 at Halftime.

Joe Bamilisile's pair of dunks electrified the crowd of 7,637 to extend the Rams' longest game run (10-0) and the largest lead (19) as the Rams led 70-51 with 10:13 remaining in the 2nd half. Jack Karasinski's 3-pointer ended the Ram's 10-0 run. Micheal Belle hit 1of two free throws to cap a 7-0 run for the Rams as they led 81-63 with 2:58 remaining in the game. The Rams held on to defeat the Knights 84-65

The Rams (1-0) will face Boston College on Friday, November 8th, in the Veterans Classic at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The tip-off is scheduled for 6 PM.

BOX SCORE

Seven Sacks & Seven Consecutive Wins: Spiders Triumph Over Towson 35-24

RICHMOND, VA: The Richmond Spiders won their 7th consecutive game on Saturday, defeating the Towson Tigers 35-24. The Spiders 7-game win streak is the longest since 2015. Spiders quarterback Camden Coleman, who was named CAA Offensive Player of the Week following last week's game, went 17-26 230 yards and 2 Touchdowns. The Spiders' defense forced three turnovers & had 7 Sacks (most since 2019), whereas Defensive End Jeremiah Grant had three sacks.

On the Spiders' opening possession, Camden Coleman connected with wide receiver Landon Ellis for a 13-yard touchdown to cap a 14-play, 85-yard drive (Brandon Peskin missed the extra point attempt) to put the Spiders up 6-0 with 7:46 remaining in the 1st quarter. On the opening possession for the Tigers, Carlos Davis ran for 1 yard. Jeremiah Grant forced a fumble, and Spiders Defensive end Camden Byrd recovered the fumble for 7 yards at the Towson 19-yard line. The Spiders would capitalize following the Turnover as Placekicker Sean O'Haire nailed a 21-yard field goal to put the Spiders up 9-0 with 4:23 remaining in the 1st Quarter.

The Tigers capitalized on the following possession: Running back Devin Matthews ran for a 1-yard touchdown run (a PAT attempt by Keegan Vaughan was good) to cut the Spiders lead to 2 with 14:57 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Camden Coleman connected with Landon Ellis for a 10-yard touchdown pass to put the Spiders up 16-7 (PAT attempt by Sean O'Haire was good) with 5:44 remaining before halftime. Keegan Vaughn nailed a 22-yard field goal to cut the Spiders lead to 6. Tigers Running back Chris Watkins rushed for 3 yards and fumbled. Jeremiah Grant forced the fumble as Safety Jabril Hayes received on the Towson 14-yard line. Following the turnover, Sean O'Haire kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired to put the Spiders up 19-10 at halftime.

The Tigers would cut the Spider's lead on their 1st possession of the 2nd half. Tyrell Greene Jr rushed for 4 yards to cap a 13-play, 74-yard drive to cut the Spiders lead to 2. Sean O'Haire kicked a 47-yard attempt to put the Spiders up 22-17 with 5:50 remaining in the 3rd quarter. On the opening play of the 4th quarter, Jabril Hayes intercepted Tigers Quarterback Sean Brown's pass and returned it for a 90-yard touchdown, which was the 1st time the Tigers allowed an interception for a touchdown since November 6, 2021 (when they faced the Spiders) to put the Spiders up 29-24. Sean O'Haire connected on a 36-yard and 18-yard field goal in the 4th quarter as the Spiders sealed the 35-24 win.

The Spiders 7-2, 4-0 CAA will face Campbell on Saturday, November 9th. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 pm.

Spiders score on four straight drives to defeat the Blue Hens 28-9

(Richmond, VA) The Richmond Spiders defeated the Delaware Blue Hens 28-9 on Saturday to capture their 5th consecutive win and hand the Blue Hens their 1st loss of the season. Quarterback Camden Coleman led the Spiders in Rushing (10 Carries, 79 Yards, and 1 Touchdown) & Passing (16/23 .194 yards, 2 Touchdowns). Blue Hen's quarterback Zach Maker went 21/43, 251 yards, and one touchdown.

Nate Reed's 33-yard FG with 10:53 remaining in the 1st Quarter to put the Blue Hens up 3-0. On the following possession, the Spiders responded with a 7-play 75-yard drive capped off by a Camden Coleman QB Keeper for 1 yard to the Spiders on put the board. Brandon Peskin kicked the Extra point to put the Spiders up 7-3. The Spider defense forced a fumble as Blue Hens QB Zach Marker scrambled for 8 yards, and Jamar Hodges forced a fumble, which Jabril Hayes recovered with 3:39 remaining in the 1st quarter. The Spiders held the Blue Hens to 71 net yards in the 1st quarter.

On the 1st play of the 2nd quarter, Camden Coleman connected with wide receiver Nick Degennaro for a 23-yard touchdown to cap a 9-play 82-yard drive with 14:56 remaining in the 2nd quarter. Brandon Peskin's PAT attempt was good as the Spiders led 14-3. On the following possession, Camden Coleman ran for 59 yards to put the Spiders at the Blue Hens one yard-line, Zach Palmer-Smith ran in a 1-yard touchdown, and Brandon Peskin's PAT attempt was good as the Spiders extended their lead to 21-3 with 11:14 remaining. The Blue Hens would respond as Zach Marker completed a 12-yard pass to Phil Lutz for a touchdown as the trailed 21-9 (2-point attempt was no good) with 9:05 remaining. In the following possession, the Spiders scored on a Cam Coleman 6-yard pass to Tight End Matt Robbert ( 11 Play 75 yards) to put the Spiders up 28-9 (Brandon Peskin's PAT attempt was good). Quantraill Morris-Walker intercepted Zach Maker's pass in the 4 Quarter as the Spiders preserved their 5th consecutive win.