Alphonzo Billups III and Zeb Jackson led VCU to an 86-74 victory over Penn State in the seventh-place game at the ESPN Events Invitational. Billups scored a career-high 23 points, while Jackson added 22 in the win.
In the second half, VCU went 7 of 11 from 3-point range and 9 of 11 from the foul line to secure the win. Billups scored 14 points after the break, hitting all five of his shots, including four 3-pointers.
Billups made a career-best five 3-pointers, helping VCU shoot 54% overall and 8 of 15 from behind the arc.
For Penn State, Ace Baldwin Jr. scored 17 points with five assists, Qudus Wahab added 14 points, and D’Marco Dunn scored 11. However, Penn State finished 5 of 17 behind the arc.
VCU took the lead for good in the second half, with Jackson’s 3-pointer capping an 8-0 run for a 77-64 lead with 4:22 to play. Billups’ 3-pointer made it a 14-point game 30 seconds later.
Nick Kern made consecutive layups to cut the deficit to 82-74, but VCU sealed the win with four free throws.
Jackson and Shulga both scored 12 points for VCU in a game where the teams combined for 24 fouls and went 26 of 35 from the foul line. Baldwin had 13 points for Penn State.
VCU will now head home for a series of six games through December, starting with Norfolk State on Friday. Meanwhile, Penn State will return home to play Bucknell on Saturday.
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