Melvin Johnson scored 19 points and the No. 14 Virginia Commonwealth Rams rebounded from its first loss ofthe season to earn a 77-63 victory over Oregon Ducks on Tuesday and take third place in the Legends Classic at the Barclays Center.
The Rams (4-1), who were blown out by Villanova 77-53 on Monday, made sure to avoid a repeat performance by scoring the first 12 points against the Ducks (3-2).
Oregon trailed 35-27 at halftime, but cut the margin to 39-28 early in the second half. The Ducks which fell to Michigan on Monday, couldn't quite pull even, and after a Casey Benson jumper got the team back within 67-61 with 3:39 to play, the Rams finished on a 12-2 run.
All five VCU starters finished in double figures. Guard Briante Weber had 11 points and 10 assists, while guard Jordan Burgess added 12 point and seven rebounds.
Forward Dillon Brooks had 15 points to lead the Ducks, which shot 37.5 percent from the field. Nearly half of its 56 shots were three-pointers, and it finished the game 9-27 from beyond the arc.
VCU's havoc defense disrupted Oregon all game long, but the Rams were sloppy with the ball as well. and Oregon combined for 23 turnovers in the first half, with the Rams giving it away 12 times. Each team finished the game with 20 turnovers.