Malcolm Armstead hit an 18-foot jumper from the top off the key with 3.8 seconds to play Tuesday night, lifting Wichita State to a 53-51 victory over Virginia Commonwealth.
Cleanthony Early added 13 points and Carl Hall 12 for the Shockers (2-0), who beat VCU for the first time in three tries. The Rams (1-1) knocked them out in the second round of the NCAA tournament last season, and beat them on last-second free throws two years ago during the regular season.
Juvonte Reddic scored 22 points to lead the Rams (1-1). He had two free throw attempts with five-tenths of a second left that would have tied it, but the first spun out. He missed the second intentionally but was called for a lane violation.
Darius Theus added 15 for the Rams, including a 3-pointer that tied it at 51 with 26.6 seconds to play.
