Larrier has 21 as No. 15 VCU buries UMES 106-66

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Terry Larrier scored 21 points and No. 15 Virginia Commonwealth made quick work of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Thursday night, taking a 61-30 halftime lead on the way to a 106-66 victory.

Treveon Graham added 17 points for the Rams (3-0), who won their 22nd in a row at home. They needed a lopsided game to get their younger players more experience before heading to New York to play No. 12 Villanova on Monday night in the Legends Classic. They will then play either Michigan or Oregon on Tuesday, also in New York.

Devon Walker scored 21 and Devin Martin 20 for the Hawks (1-3), who were playing for the second night in a row and fourth time in seven days.

Michael Myers added 14 points for UMES, but the team committed 20 turnovers.

The Hawks beat Mount St. Mary's in Maryland on Wednesday night but provided little resistance once the Rams combined their frenetic full-court pressure with hot early shooting in racing to a 23-2 lead in the first 5 minutes.

VCU hit 10 of its first 11 shots, including all three of its 3-pointers, in building the big early lead. After the Hawks closed to within 38-26 with 9:05 to play, the Rams ended the half on a 23-4 run to lead 61-30 at the break.

The Rams got 3-pointers from seven players as they made 10 of 16 from long range in the first half.

Coach Shaka Smart pulled his starters early after halftime and went predominantly with youth and reserves. No VCU starter played more than 15 minutes, and the Rams eased up on their full-court pressure well before halftime.

TIP-INS

UMES: First-year Hawks coach Bobby Collins inherited a team that went 6-24 last season, then lost all five of its starters. ... The Hawks' 53-41 victory at Mount St. Mary's was their first nonconference road win by double digits since December 1993.

VCU: The Rams extended their home sellout streak to 52. ... Treveon Graham became the 15th player in VCU history to score 1,400 career points. He got there with a 3-pointer early in the second half.

UP NEXT

UMES plays at St. Francis, Pa., on Saturday.

VCU plays No. 12 Villanova in the Legends Classis at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.