Briante Weber’s Jersey Retirement Highlights VCU’s 90-70 Victory

(Richmond, VA) — The VCU men’s basketball team defeated the William & Mary Tribe 90-70 on Sunday afternoon, wrapping up their non-conference schedule. Before the game, the Rams honored former player Briante Weber by retiring his jersey. Weber, who played for VCU from 2011 to 2015, is the program’s all-time leader in steals with 374.

Joe Bamisile led the Rams with 20 points, while Gabe Dorsey paced the Tribe with 16 points.

The game opened with Max Shulga’s jumper at 18:23 remaining, putting the Rams ahead 2-0. The Tribe tied the game at 2 with a jumper by Chase Lowe. An 8-0 run by the Rams, capped by a dunk from Jack Clark, gave VCU a 10-4 lead. Luke Bamgboye’s layup extended the Rams' advantage to 19-11. However, the Tribe responded with a 9-0 run to take a brief 20-19 lead.

VCU regained control when Joe Bamisile’s layup put the Rams up 21-20. The Tribe’s Malachi Ndur hit two consecutive three-pointers to give William & Mary its largest lead, 26-21, with 6:42 left in the first half. The Rams reclaimed the lead for good at 4:01 remaining when Jack Clark sank two free throws, making it 36-35. By halftime, the Rams had extended their lead to 42-37.

In the second half, the Tribe briefly narrowed the gap to six points after Gabe Dorsey made 1 of 2 free throws, making it 49-43. However, the Rams responded with a 10-0 run, fueled by Zeb Jackson (a three-pointer and a jumper) and Joe Bamisile (a jumper and a three-pointer), to take a commanding 59-43 lead with 15:05 remaining.

Zeb Jackson’s three-pointer of the game, coming with 11:29 left, capped a 7-0 run that put the Rams ahead 68-48. His layup at the 4:16 mark gave VCU its largest lead of the day, 83-57. The Rams maintained control and closed the game with a 90-70 victory.

With this win, the Rams improve to 10-3. They will open Atlantic 10 Conference play on Tuesday, December 31, with a road game against St. Bonaventure. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m.