RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Rams Men’s Basketball team is victorious against the University of Richmond Spiders in the Capital City Classic for the third consecutive time.
VCU point guard Adrian “Ace” Baldwin, Jr. scored 18 points and recorded eight assists, five rebounds, four steals and two blocks to lead the Rams to a 73-58 win over the Spiders in their third-to-last game of the regular season Friday night.
Three other Rams scored double digits in the win. Guard Jamir Watkins recorded 11 points, nine rebounds and two assists, forward Jalen DeLoach had 10 points and eight rebounds and forward Nick Kern, Jr. scored 10 points.
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Virginia Commonwealth guard Nick Kern Jr. (24) dunks over Richmond forward Tyler Burton (3) during an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP) -
Virginia Commonwealth forward Jalen DeLoach (4) shoots as Richmond forward Matt Grace defends during an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP) -
Virginia Commonwealth fans celebrate after a 3-pointer by Jamir Watkins (0) against Richmond during an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP) -
Virginia Commonwealth guard Ace Baldwin (1) reloads after hitting a 3-pointer against Richmond during an NCAA college basketball game Friday, Feb. 24, 2023, in Richmond, Va. (Shaban Athuman/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP)
Center Neal Quinn led the Spiders in scoring with 21 points, followed by forward Tyler Burton, who recorded 18 points and six rebounds. The Spiders’ third-leading scorers both had four points each.
Having improved their conference record to 13-3, the Rams maintained their spot at the top of the Atlantic 10 standings. The Spiders are currently in eighth place in the A10 with a conference record of 7-9 and overall record of 14-15.
The cross-town rivalry game has been taking place since 1976. With this most recent victory, the Rams are 10-2 against the Spiders in their previous ten matchups and 59-32 all-time.
The last time Richmond beat VCU was in the third round of last year’s A10 Tournament. The Spiders would go on to win the conference championship and upset the 5-seed Iowa Hawkeyes in the first round of the NCAA Tournament before losing to the 4-seed Providence Friars in the next round.
The Rams finish the regular season with a game against the Saint Louis Billikens at home and against the George Washington Colonials on the road. The Spiders close out their season with a game against Saint Joseph’s on the road and one against George Mason at home.
