Virginia Commonwealth 92, George Washington 75

The Virginia Commonwealth Rams dominated on defense and from 3-point range in breaking out to a 17-point halftime lead and cruising to a 92-75 victory over the George Washington Colonials in Richmond on Wednesday.

The Rams (20-5, 8-2 Atlantic 10) forced 15 turnovers by halftime, and went 8 for 14 from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes to take a 45-28 lead. The Colonials, meanwhile, missed all eight of their 3-point attempts in the first half.

George Washington (19-5, 7-3) heated up in the second half and cut the lead to five at 59-54 with 9:16 to play. But a 16-3 run pushed the margin back up to 16 for the Rams, and the Colonials never got closer than eight the rest of the way.

It was a frustrating game for the Colonials, who were called for 22 fouls and were not happy with how the game was officiated on either end of the floor. Emotions boiled over when coach Mike Lonergan picked up his second technical foul and was ejected with 43 seconds to play.

VCU guard Treveon Graham led the Rams with 25 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Melvin Johnson had 15 in the first half on 6 of 8 shooting, and finished with 21.

Forward Isaiah Armwood led George Washington with 17 points, while forward Kevin Larson had a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Guard Maurice Creek paced the Colonials’ comeback attempt by scoring 14 of his 15 points in the second half.

George Washington won the first meeting between the two teams, 76-66, on Jan. 14.