RICHMOND, Va. (AP) -Joey Rodriguez scored 18 points and dished out 10 assists and Virginia Commonwealth used ball-hawking defense to cool off William & Mary 81-59 on Wednesday night.
The Rams (13-4, 5-3 Colonial Athletic Association) took command with a defense-led 18-5 run early in the second half, turning a 33-31 game into a 51-36 advantage with 11 minutes left. When VCU's Bradford Burgess and Ed Nixon answered a Tribe basket with 3-pointers, pushing the Rams' lead to 18.
William & Mary (14-4, 6-2), which arrived winners in 14 of 15 and riding a school-record seven-game road winning streak, had trouble all night with the Rams' defensive intensity, which yielded three steals and easy layups during the game-changing second-half spree.
Danny Sumner led William & Mary with 20 points, while Markus Kitts had 16 points and 11 rebounds.
