VCU men's basketball beats Little Rock 82-72 in season opener

The VCU Rams opened their season with an 82-72 win over Little Rock on Monday night at the Siegel Center, improving to 1-0.

VCU led 37-33 at halftime and outscored the Trojans 45-39 in the second half. The Rams' largest lead was 15 points, and they led for 94 percent of the game.

Alston leads the way

Torey Alston came off the bench to score 17 points on 4-of-7 shooting, going 8-of-11 at the free throw line. He also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds, five of them offensive, and blocked two shots in 31 minutes.

Nyk Lewis played 37 minutes and had 15 points, a team-high five assists and three steals. Lazar Djokovic also scored 15 points, and Blake Harper added 14, including two three-pointers. Brandon Jennings scored seven points, and Ahmad Nowell had six.

Free throws and fast breaks

VCU did much of its work away from the field. The Rams shot just 20-of-52 (38 percent) from the floor and 8-of-25 from three, but they went to the line 48 times and made 34 of them. Little Rock was whistled for 38 fouls, while VCU had 17.

The Rams also won the transition game, outscoring Little Rock 31-5 on fast-break points. They scored 23 points off 16 Little Rock turnovers, while committing 13 themselves. VCU had 18 offensive rebounds against 13 for the Trojans, and the teams tied at 39 rebounds apiece.

Little Rock had the edge in the paint, 32-24 in points, and shot 25-of-59 (42 percent) overall, 5-of-16 from three.

Little Rock's King scores 27

Jah'Likai King led all scorers with 27 points for the Trojans, hitting 9 of 13 shots, 3 of 4 from three and all six of his free throws in 25 minutes. Papa Amadou Kante scored 13 and Aaron Clark added 11. Taj Walters led Little Rock with eight rebounds. The Trojans fall to 0-1.

The game saw plenty of foul trouble for Little Rock: Bradyn Hubbard, Jalen Lyn and Walters each finished with five fouls.

Up next

VCU travels to face Memphis on Saturday, Nov. 7, 2026, at 3:00 p.m. ET.