RICHMOND, VA—
Larry Sanders scored 11 of his 14 points in
the second half to lead Virginia Commonwealth to a 70-58 win over
Old Dominion on Saturday.The Rams (17-5, 9-4 Colonial Athletic Association), who won for the eighth time in their last nine games, held the Monarchs to two field goals after Darius James 3-pointer with 7:55 remaining.
Old Dominion (18-7, 10-3) dropped to 1-10 at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
Sanders, VCU's leading scorer, sat out the first 4:10 due to a disciplinary infraction. Kirill Pishchalnikov replaced him in the starting lineup and scored six of the Rams first eight points.
Virginia Commonwealth turned up its defense early in the second half, forcing seven turnovers in the first 10 minutes and took a 51-45 lead. Sanders led the rally with nine points.
The Rams grabbed the lead for good during an 11-2 run on Sanders' tip-in with 15:07 left. Virginia Commonwealth led by as many as 15 points.
Burgess led the Rams with 16 points. Pischalnikov finished with a season-high 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting. The Rams tallied 17 points on 16 Monarch turnovers and outrebounded Old Dominion 39-37 led by Sanders' 12, giving him his eighth double-double of the season.
Kent Bazemore led the Monarchs with 12 points and Hassell finished with 10. Old Dominion was held to 9-of-27 from the field in the second half and outscored 39-25.
