Rams Extend Win Streak, Hold Top Spot in A-10 Standings

Richmond, VA – The VCU Rams extended their winning streak to six games on Saturday afternoon, defeating the George Mason Patriots 70-54 in front of a sellout crowd. With the victory, the Rams remain atop the Atlantic 10 standings. Max Shulga led VCU with 22 points, while Darius Maddox and K.D. Johnson paced the Patriots with 12 points each.

The first half was a defensive battle, with both teams struggling from the field. The Rams shot just 24% (6-of-25), while the Patriots fared slightly better at 28% (8-of-28). George Mason grabbed an early lead, with Jalen Haynes’ layup putting them ahead 7-2 at the 15:55 mark—their largest advantage of the half.

VCU claimed its first lead when Shulga knocked down two free throws to put the Rams ahead 17-15 with 5:10 remaining. However, the Patriots quickly responded as Maddox drilled a three-pointer to reclaim an 18-17 advantage. Moments later, Joe Bamisile electrified the crowd with a thunderous dunk, giving the Rams a 19-18 edge with 4:14 left. The Patriots held a slim 24-23 lead at halftime.

The second half belonged to VCU. Luke Bamgboye opened the scoring with a dunk to put the Rams back on top, 25-24. After a Jalen Haynes jumper briefly put George Mason ahead 29-27, the Rams took control. A dominant 15-0 run, capped by a Jack Clark three-pointer, pushed VCU’s lead to 42-29 with 14:08 remaining. The Patriots never recovered.

Christian Fermin’s dunk in the final minute gave the Rams their largest lead at 69-49, sealing the victory. VCU (22-5, 12-2 A-10) will now turn its attention to a crosstown rivalry matchup against the Richmond Spiders on Tuesday, February 25. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.