WASHINGTON — Behind 17 points from Jack Clark and 14 from Zeb Jackson, VCU opened their 2025 Atlantic Ten tournament in Washington with a workmanlike 76-59 win over St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals.
VCU broke open a tight game in the first half despite shooting only 41% from the floor in the first 20 minutes. What helped the Rams was their effort on the glass, outrebounding the Bonnies by four including pulling down 16 offensive rebounds.
"We got 10 in the first half and finished with 16," VCU head coach Ryan Odom noted after the game. "That's a good day for us."
The Rams were also bolstered by the play of freshman guard Brandon Jennings (St. Christopher's) who played 16 minutes largely due to foul trouble for Phillip Russell. Jennings had career highs with 12 points, hitting all three of his shot from behind the arc, and three blocks, including an incredibly athletic swat of a Bonnies shot in the second half.
"It was big," said senior forward Jack Clark. "His effort to block shots and also get steals, it kind of set the tone for us."
"It feels great just to be able to produce on the floor as a freshman" Jennings added. "I'm just blessed and gland to do it with the teammates I have beside me."
VCU also got 13 points from Joe Bamisile but only two from A-10 Player of the Year Max Shulga, who did contribute 11 assists and six rebounds.
"Max did a great job today" Clark said. "He had 11 assists. You can't ask for a better job if he's not scoring."
"And zero turnovers" Jennings added.
"We're not a one-man team" Odom said. "Max understands, as all these guys do, that they have an opportunity every time they go in the game. He's a veteran. He understands that he can impact the game in a lot of different ways."
Melvin Council Jr. and Chance Moore paced the Bonnies with 19 points each, but St. Bonaventure shot just 36% from the floor for the game and hit only four three-pointers on 19 attempts.
"Every time we missed, they went down and made us pay for it" said Bonnies head coach Mark Schmidt. "There's a reason why they were co-champs."
VCU led for all but 27 seconds in the game, and the Rams bench outscored their counterparts 30-5. The Rams took two of three from the Bonnies this year and will head to Saturday's semifinals which tip off at 1 p.m.
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