By By Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va. — Brandon Rozzell’s 3-pointer with 2:29 left gave Virginia Commonwealth a two-point lead and ignited a 9-0 run as the Rams topped East Carolina 82-74 on Tuesday night.
After Rozzell’s trey, T.J Gwynn had a follow and the Rams (8-2) hit 4 of 7 free throws. The Pirates (5-8) missed their final five field goals and did not score in the last 2:57. East Carolina had one field goal in the final 7:44.
There were 13 ties and 22 lead changes and neither team had a double-digit lead.
Virginia Commonwealth’s Larry Sanders had a career-high 23 points, nine rebounds and four blocks. Joey Rodriguez had a season-high 19 points and Rozzell added 15.
East Carolina’s Jamar Abrams, returning to his hometown, had a career-high 26 points, going 10-for-15 from the field and 5-for-8 on 3-point attempts. Chad Wynn added a season-high 17 points and Brock Young had 16.
VCU 82, EAST CAROLINA 74
EAST CAROLINA (5-8)
Morrow 3-7 0-0 6, Young 5-11 5-10 16, Abrams 10-15 1-2 26, Sherrod 3-8 0-0 7, Wynn 7-9 3-4 17, Gaines 0-0 0-0 0, Straughn 1-1 0-0 2, Ellison 0-1 0-0 0, Joyner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 29-52 9-16 74.
VCU (8-2)
Sanders 9-17 4-6 23, Rodriguez 7-14 2-4 19, Burgess 1-4 1-2 4, Rozzell 6-11 0-0 15, Gwynn 1-4 0-0 2, Gavin 3-5 0-0 8, Saintil 0-1 1-2 1, Theus 0-1 0-0 0, Skeen 3-7 1-3 7, Nixon 1-6 0-0 3. Totals 31-70 9-17 82.
Halftime—VCU 44-42. 3-Point Goals—East Carolina 7-15 (Abrams 5-8, Young 1-3, Sherrod 1-4), VCU 11-29 (Rozzell 3-6, Rodriguez 3-8, Gavin 2-4, Sanders 1-2, Burgess 1-2, Nixon 1-4, Skeen 0-1, Theus 0-1, Gwynn 0-1). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—East Carolina 35 (Morrow 9), VCU 35 (Sanders 9). Assists—East Carolina 18 (Young 7), VCU 15 (Rodriguez 5). Total Fouls—East Carolina 19, VCU 14. A—7,124. 8, Drexel