Senior forward Vince Williams Jr. scored a team-high 16 points, including a crucial late bucket, and drew a potential game-saving charge as VCU held on to beat 25th-ranked Davidson, 70-68, Wednesday night.
Williams turned in an efficient performance to lead the Rams. He connected on 6-of-9 attempts from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range, and added a team-high six rebounds.
Sophomore guard Ace Baldwin Jr. added 15 points and five steals for VCU (12-6, 5-2 A-10), while senior forward Levi Stockard III supplied 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
Luka Brajkovic led all players with 23 points and 12 rebounds for the Wildcats (16-3, 6-1 A-10).
Davidson whittled what was once a 15-point VCU lead to just one, at 67-66, following three straight Foster Loyer free throws with 1:32 remaining. But Williams drove the lane and slammed home a pair on VCU’s ensuing possession to make it 69-66. Later, with the score 69-68, Williams drew a charge on Brajkovic in the low post with 13 seconds left.
The Rams then connected on 1-of-2 at the line to take a 70-68 lead. Moments later, VCU sophomore Mikeal Brown-Jones blocked a 3-pointer by Brajkovic from the left wing and was fouled with .7 seconds remaining.
Freshman guard Jayden Nunn sandwiched a pair of 3-pointers around a Baldwin trey in the final minute of the first half to provide VCU with a 37-29 halftime lead. Back-to-back buckets by Williams and freshman forward Jalen DeLoach capped a 6-1 VCU run to kick off the second half.
The Rams would eventually push their lead to 15, at 67-54, on a traditional three-point play by Stockard with 5:04 left. Davidson responded with a 12-0 run over the next 3:30.
VCU will head to the Robins Center to face crosstown rival Richmond on Saturday, Jan. 29 at 4 p.m. on CBS Sports Network.
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