City of Basketball Love

Teddy Bailey (@TheTeddyBailey)
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Saint Joseph's, fresh off a strong road win at Richmond on Saturday to open conference play, were looking to impress its home crowd in Tuesday's Atlantic 10 home opener against Virginia Commonwealth. 

Despite a game-high 31 points from senior forward Isaiah Miles, St. Joseph's allowed VCU to storm back from a 13-point deficit as the Rams won, 85-82 at Hagan Arena.

At first ...
The Hawks jumped out to an 8-0 lead as DeAndre Bembry and Shavar Newkirk both hit early 3-pointers to give St. Joe's an early boost. The Hawks were able to turn the lead into 13-5 within the first five minutes of the game, before the Rams were able to take their first lead of the game with six minutes until halftime. VCU led 38-35 at the break.

Turning point ...
Saint Joseph's led 70-57 with 7:11 to play and seemed to control the course of the game. VCU, however, reeled off a 19-7 run to trail by just one-point with 1:48 remaining. 

The key to VCU's run was missed free-throws from St. Joseph's. The Hawks, who shot 8-of-10 from the charity stripe in the first half, converted just 9-of-19 in the second half despite shooting better from the floor down the stretch. 

Standout stars ...
Senior forward Isaiah Miles continued his tear, scoring a game-high 31 points and corralling nine rebounds. DeAndre Bembry added 17 points in the losing effort, despite shooting just 6-of-19 from the field. 

For VCU, the Rams were paced by 25 points from senior guard Melvin Johnson, who splashed five 3-pointers in the comeback win. Johnson was helped by 19 points and six rebounds from junior point guard JeQuan Lewis. 

Noteworthy numbers ...
The Hawks shot just 9-of-19 from the free-throw line in the second half, allowing VCU to make an easier comeback. Bembry was 4-of-9 from the foul line.

Next up ...
St. Joe's (11-3, 1-1 A10) vs. Rhode Island (10-5, 2-0 A10) Jan. 10th, Noon.
VCU (10-5, 2-0 A10) @ Saint Louis (5-8, 0-1 A10) Jan. 10th, 4 p.m.