Tillman, Williams lead VCU past Appalachian St., 85-72

Nov 29, 2017, 02:23 am

RICHMOND, Va. -- Justin Tillman scored 21 points and Jonathan Williams added 18 as VCU beat Appalachian State 85-72 on Tuesday night.

Khris Lane added 17 for the Rams (4-3), who led 46-45 at halftime and opened the second half on a 19-9 run. That gave them a 65-54 lead with 11:44 to play, and they never let the Mountaineers closer than nine the rest of the way.

Ronshad Shabazz led Appalachian State with 19 points and Justin Forrest had 12. The Mountaineers committed 19 turnovers against VCU's pressure and were outscored 21-4 off their mistakes.

Williams also had seven assists for the Rams, but after coming into the game 6 for 41 in his career from 3-point range, he hit 4 of 6 tries against the Mountaineers, the last when he scooped up a pass in the right corner with the shot clock racing down and swished it, giving VCU a 76-62 lead with six minutes remaining.