Joey Rodriguez had a season-high 22 points and dished out nine assists and Virginia Commonwealth hit 30 free throws in a 78-62 win over Georgia State on Saturday night.
Larry Sanders had 13 points and 13 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season for the Rams (15-5, 7-4 Colonial Athletic Association), while Brandon Rozzell scored 12 and Darius Theus and Ed Nixon chipped in 10 points apiece.
Georgia State (9-14, 3-8) led 16-10 with 11:29 left in the first half, but Virginia Commonwealth pulled ahead 19-18 and kept the lead for good, going into halftime up 45-32.
The Panthers opened the second half on a 19-9 run to cut the deficit to three with 6:27 to go. Virginia Commonwealth used a 7-0 run, capped by a Rodriguez jumper, to pull away.
The Rams were 30-for-35 from the line.
Joe Dukes scored 17 points to lead the Panthers, who lost their third straight.
