Junior forward Hason Ward tipped in a go-ahead basket, and VCU forced a pair of critical, late turnovers in the final 25 seconds, to preserve and opening night 57-54 win over Saint Peters at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
Ward tallied a career-high 14 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. He was 6-of-8 from the field on the night.
Senior guard KeShawn Curry added 12 points, three steals, three assists and a block for the Black and Gold.
Freshman guard Jayden Nunn chipped in nine points and contributed a team-high four steals in his collegiate debut for the Rams.
Doug Edert led the Peacocks with 17 points going 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
Saint Peter’s took a 54-53 lead on a layup by KC Ndefo with 1:59 remaining. The game remained scoreless for more than a minute before Ward, crashing hard from the right block, tipped in a long rebound with 25 seconds remaining for a 55-54 VCU lead.
The Rams forced turnovers on the next two possessions, and senior forward Vince Williams hit a pair of free throws for the final margin.
VCU held the Peacocks to 31 percent (18-of-58) shooting from the field and turned the Peacocks over 21 times. The Rams held Saint Peter’s to 21-percent (7-of-33) shooting in the first half on the way to a 31-23 halftime lead
VCU will play host to Wagner on Saturday Nov. 13 at 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center. That game will be broadcast on MASN2 and ESPN+
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