VCU Athletics-Men's Basketball

FREE THROWS MAKE THE DIFFERENCE AS VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH FALLS 72-69 AT OLD DOMINION
1-29-00|
BOX SCORE
Virginia Commonwealth nearly overcame a dramatic deficit at the free-throw line, but could not come away with the win as the Rams fell to Colonial Athletic Association rival Old Dominion 72-69 on Saturday night at Norfolk Scope. The Monarchs made 16 more free throws and took 13 more trips to the charity stripe than the Rams did on the night.

Junior center L.F. Likcholitov (St. Petersburg, Russia) led the Rams with 15 points, his highest output since scoring a career-high 16 against Colorado earlier this season. Joining Likcholitov in double figures was Bo Jones, who finished with 13 points, his 11th straight game in double digits. Virginia Commonwealth's Reggie Okosa (Claymont, Del.) led all players with nine rebounds, with seven of those coming on the offensive end. Old Dominion was led by Andre McCullum, who tallied 24 points, including an 8-of-8 performance from the free-throw line.

The Monarchs jumped out to an early lead, but Virginia Commonwealth rallied, taking a 22-16 lead midway through the first period. Old Dominion regained the lead and held a 32-24 advantage late in the first half, but the Rams closed the gap slightly to trail just 34-30 at halftime.

The second half saw Virginia Commonwealth make several runs at the Monarchs, only to be turned away as they got within striking distance. The Rams trailed 67-60 with four minutes remaining, then scored five unanswered points to make the score 67-65 with 2:45 to play. Old Dominion held a 71-67 advantage when Okosa made a layup with 49 seconds remaining, but Virginia Commonwealth would get no closer. The Monarchs would convert 15 of their 22 attempts from the free-throw line in the final period, and hit 24-of-33 attempts (72.7 percent) for the game compared to just 8-of-20 (40.0
precent) for the Rams.

The loss drops Virginia Commonwealth to 10-8 overall and 3-4 in the CAA, while Old Dominion is now 9-12 on the season and 4-5 in the conference. The Rams continue their four-game road trip on Wednesday as they travel to Harrisonburg, Va., to take on James Madison. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start.

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