RICHMOND, Va. (Interstat) — VCU used a dominant performance at the free-throw line and a balanced scoring attack to pull away from George Washington in the second half for an 89-75 victory in Atlantic 10 Conference men’s basketball on Tuesday night at Siegel Center.

A crowd of 7,637 saw the Rams improve to 21-6 overall and solidify their position near the top of the conference standings. The Revolutionaries fell to 15-12.

The game was a tale of efficiency and aggression. VCU attempted 35 free throws, making 26, while George Washington went just 11 of 17 from the line. That 15-point disparity proved decisive in a game the Rams led by just two points at halftime, 48-46.

George Washington’s Luke Hunger, a 6-foot-10 forward from Montreal, kept his team in contention with a game-high 24 points. He scored 16 in the first half, including a trio of three-pointers, as the Revolutionaries matched VCU shot for shot. Tyrone Marshall added 14 points for the visitors, and Tre Dinkins chipped in 16, with 11 coming after halftime.

But VCU’s depth and defensive pressure wore down George Washington after the break. The Rams forced 11 turnovers, converting them into 15 points, and recorded nine steals and five blocks. Offensively, six Rams scored in double figures, led by Tyrell Ward’s 15 points off the bench. Brandon Jennings, a Richmond native, filled the stat sheet with 14 points, three blocks and two steals. Nyk Lewis and Lazar Djokovic each added 14 points, Terrence Hill had 13 points and seven assists, and Barry Evans contributed 10 points, five assists and two blocks.

The most important sequence of the game came early in the second half, just as George Washington had drawn even. After a three-pointer by Christian Jones tied the score at 51-51 with 19:44 remaining, VCU unleashed a 15-2 run over the next four and a half minutes to seize control. The spurt was fueled by VCU’s defensive identity. It included a steal and layup by Ward, another Ward layup off a Hill assist, and a three-pointer from Djokovic. The Revolutionaries, who managed only four assists all night against VCU’s active defense, committed three turnovers during the decisive run and never recovered, never cutting the deficit to single digits again.

VCU shot 51.9% from the field (27 of 52) and 39.1% from three-point range (9 of 23). George Washington, reliant on the three-point shot, made 12 of 34 from beyond the arc (35.3%) but shot just 42.6% overall (26 of 61). The Rams also won the possession battle, scoring 89 points on 70 possessions for an offensive rating of 127.8, compared to George Washington’s 108.6 rating on 69 possessions.

George Washington, which had won two of its last three games, next travels to face La Salle on Feb. 24. VCU, which entered the game as a 6.5-point favorite with a 90.5% win probability according to Interstat’s ELO system, heads to Saint Louis on Friday.