Bamisile’s 23 Points & Key Runs Propel Rams Past Billikens in Atlantic 10 Showdown

(Richmond, VA) The VCU Rams won their third consecutive game on Tuesday night, defeating the Saint Louis Billikens 78-62. Joe Bamisile led the Rams with 23 points, while Isaiah Swope paced the Billikens with 18 points. The Rams' defense was a key factor, holding the Billikens to 32% shooting overall and a mere 20% in the second half. Additionally, they limited Atlantic 10’s top scorer, Gibson Jimerson, to just 11 points.

In the opening minute, Robbie Avila hit a three-pointer to give the Billikens a 3-0 lead with 19:32 remaining in the first half. However, the lead lasted only 22 seconds as Jack Clark responded with a three-pointer to tie the game. The Rams then extended their lead, fueled by a strong start from Phillip Russell, who capped an 8-0 run with another three-pointer, making it 8-3 with 18:12 left in the half. Joe Bamisile added a highlight play with a four-point conversion, stretching the Rams' advantage to 17-7 with 14:23 on the clock.

The Billikens battled back, with Isaiah Swope’s three-pointer trimming the Rams’ lead to 21-17. However, Bamisile’s layup with 6:20 remaining in the half restored momentum for VCU, giving them a 36-24 advantage—their largest lead of the half. The Rams headed into halftime with a 47-42 lead.

The second half began with Jimerson’s layup, cutting the Rams’ lead to three points at 47-44. VCU quickly responded as Jack Clark drained a three-pointer to cap a 7-0 run, extending the lead to 54-44 with 15:02 remaining. The Rams maintained their dominance, with Brandon Jennings (who scored a career-high 10 points) electrifying the crowd with back-to-back three-pointers. Max Shulga added a layup, and Joe Bamisile punctuated a 10-0 run with a thunderous dunk, pushing the lead to 66-51 with 10:17 left.

Michael Belle’s layup with 8:00 remaining gave the Rams their largest lead of the night at 70-53. From there, VCU comfortably controlled the game, sealing a convincing 78-62 victory.

The Rams, now 13-4 overall and 3-1 in Atlantic 10 play, will travel to Philadelphia to face Saint Joseph’s on Friday, January 17th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

BOX SCORE

Parham's career-high 17 rebounds & Asare’s 26 Points Propel Rams to Victory Over Hawks

(Richmond, VA) VCU Women secured their second consecutive win on Sunday afternoon, defeating the Saint Joseph’s Hawks 57-50. The Rams were led by Mary-Anna Asare, who scored an impressive 26 points, and Mykel Parham, who achieved a career-high 17 rebounds. The Hawks were paced by Laura Ziegler, who scored 19 points.

In the opening seconds of the first quarter, Mary-Anna Asare connected on a three-pointer to put the Rams up 3-0. Valentina Ojeda followed with another three-pointer at 8:38, extending the lead to 6-2. However, the Hawks responded with a 7-0 run, capped by Aleah Snead’s layup, giving them a 9-6 lead with 3:25 remaining in the first quarter. Ojeda cut the Hawks' lead to one with a layup at 1:36, making it 9-8. Gabby Casey’s two free throws in the quarter's final seconds put the Hawks ahead 11-8.

The Hawks extended their lead early in the second quarter with a jumper from Laura Ziegler, making it 13-8. The Rams answered as Mary-Anna Asare scored a layup and a jumper, narrowing the gap to 13-12 with 6:49 remaining. Mackenzie Smith’s one-of-two free throws and a layup pushed the Hawks’ lead to 16-12. Grace Hutson’s three-pointer brought the Rams back within one, at 16-15. Talya Brugler’s jumper put the Hawks up 18-15, but the Rams countered with Valentina Ojeda’s jumper and Mary-Anna Asare’s fast-break layup, giving the Rams their first lead since the opening quarter, 19-18, with 3:19 left. Talya Brugler responded with a layup and two free throws, putting the Hawks back up 22-19. The Rams trailed 22-20 at halftime.

Mackenzie Smith opened the third quarter with a three-pointer, extending the Hawks’ lead to 25-20. The Rams quickly responded as Zoli Khalil’s jumper gave them a 26-25 lead with 5:45 remaining in the quarter. The Hawks regained momentum with Talya Brugler’s free throws and Laura Ziegler’s three-pointer, sparking a 7-0 run and giving them their largest lead of the game, 32-26. However, the Rams reclaimed the lead in the final seconds as Mary-Anna Asare’s layup put them ahead 35-34 at the end of the third quarter.

The Rams extended their lead early in the fourth quarter. Asare hit one of two free throws, followed by Ojeda’s layup and another free throw, capping an 8-0 run and put the Rams up 39-34 with 9:14 remaining. The Hawks tied the game at 42 with 5:58 left, thanks to Laura Ziegler’s jumper. Zoli Khalil’s three-pointer with 2:01 remaining gave the Rams their largest lead of the night, 52-43. VCU held on to secure a 57-50 victory.

With this win, the Rams improved to 9-8 overall and 3-2 in Atlantic 10 play. They will face Rhode Island on Wednesday, January 15th, with the tip-off scheduled for 6 PM.

BOX SCORE

Mary-Anna Asare's Career Night Lifts Rams Past Duquesne in Thriller

Following the Rams’ A-10 opening loss to Saint Joseph’s, the Rams returned home on Thursday to defeat the Duquesne Dukes, 65-63. This matchup featured two of the best guards in the A-10 Conference: Mary-Anna Asare, who entered the game averaging 14.9 PPG, and Megan McConnell, averaging 19.5 PPG. Mary-Anna Asare led the Rams with a career-high 37 points, while Mykel Parham grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds. The Dukes were led by Megan McConnell, who scored 24 points.

The Dukes took the lead in the game's opening seconds as Jerni Kiaku’s layup put them up 2-0. The Rams responded with Grace Hutson’s three-pointer at 7:45 in the first quarter, capping a 10-0 run to take a 10-2 lead. Reina Green's jumper helped the Dukes cut the lead to six points, and Mackenzie Blackford’s three-pointer brought the Dukes within two, trailing 11-9 with 2:52 remaining. A layup by Nadia Moore with 1:18 left in the quarter further reduced the deficit, leaving the Rams with a slim one-point lead at the end of the first quarter.

Mary-Anna Asare’s second-quarter layup extended the Rams’ lead. Megan McConnell’s pair of free throws cut the Rams’ advantage to 17-16. At the 5:03 mark, Jennifer Ezeh’s layup gave the Rams a six-point cushion, leading 29-23. McConnell hit another pair of free throws to bring the Dukes within two points at 31-29. Asare responded with back-to-back layups, giving the Rams a 35-29 lead with 1:46 remaining. McConnell’s jumper to close out the second quarter cut the deficit to four, with the Rams leading 35-31 at halftime.

In the third quarter, Asare’s layup and jumper pushed the Rams’ lead to 39-31 with 8:10 remaining. Her three-pointer at the 7:48 mark extended the lead to 42-32. The Dukes answered as McConnell hit a three-pointer, a jumper, and a free throw to cut the Rams’ lead to 42-38. Grace Hutson’s jumper with 11 seconds remaining gave the Rams their largest lead of the game, 59-44, heading into the fourth quarter.

The Dukes mounted a comeback in the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Blackford’s layup with 8:13 remaining capped an 8-0 run, cutting the lead to five points at 59-54. Asare’s jumper extended the Rams’ lead to 61-54, but McConnell countered with a driving layup, narrowing the gap to 61-57. Kiaku’s layup brought the Dukes within one point, trailing 61-60. Asare hit a free throw to give the Rams a 62-60 lead with 44 seconds left. On the next possession, Kiaku’s three-pointer gave the Dukes their first lead since the opening seconds of the game, 63-62, with 34 seconds remaining. However, Asare’s driving layup with 24 seconds left regained the lead for the Rams, 64-63. A turnover by the Dukes with three seconds remaining sent Asare to the free-throw line, where she made one of two shots, sealing the Rams’ 65-63 victory. The Rams (7-7, 1-1 A-10) will face Dayton at home on Sunday, January 5th. The tip-off is scheduled for 1 PM.