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VCU holds on to down Duquesne

Jan 18, 2015 - 5:38 AM Pittsburgh, PA (SportsNetwork.com) - JeQuan Lewis had 16 points and five assists as No. 17 VCU held off Duquesne, 70-64.

Melvin Johnson gave 14 points and Doug Brooks added 10 for the Rams (15-3, 5-0 A-10), who have won 10 straight since a loss to Virginia on Dec. 6.

Derrick Colter had 14 points and five rebounds, Dominique McKoy added 12 points and six rebounds and L.G. Gill had 11 points and seven boards for the Dukes (6-10, 1-4), who have lost their past three.

A Colter layup and Darius Lewis slam cut the Dukes' deficit to 64-62 with 2 1/2 minutes to play.

After Lewis missed a 3-pointer at the other end, Duquesne had a chance to tie the game, but Mo Alie-Cox stole the ball off Micah Mason and Johnson hit a 3 at the other end for a five-point lead with under a minute to play.

Duquesne had three misses its next trip down the court, and Alie-Cox sealed the victory with a pair from the line.

"I thought Duquesne played with great aggressiveness in the second half," said VCU coach Shaka Smart. "Our guys showed some great poise."

The Dukes led by six early in the first half, but an 11-0 run put the Rams on top and the team closed the half with a 7-2 burst for a 40-26 lead going into the break.

VCU continued to maintain a comfortable advantage early in the second half, but a 9-0 run from Duquesne saw the team cut its deficit to four as Lewis hit a jumper to make it a 56-52 game with just under 10 minutes to play.

"I thought they played really, really hard," said Duquesne coach Jim Ferry. "We did some good things to put ourselves in a situation to win the game."

Game Notes

Duquesne outshot VCU, 43.1 percent to 39 percent, and held a 44-28 edge on the boards, but committed 16 turnovers to just eight for VCU ... The Rams play at Saint Louis on Friday ... VCU has won three straight against Duquesne.