Melvin Johnson added 14 points, and reserve Doug Brooks had 10 for VCU (15-3, 5-0 Atlantic 10), which notched its 10th straight win. The Rams – who played without leading scorer Treveon Graham (ankle), who was held out for precautionary reasons – also received seven points and four rebounds from Jordan Burgess and seven points, four assists and four steals from Briante Weber.

Derrick Colter had 14 points to pace Duquesne (6-10, 1-4), which suffered its third straight loss. Dominique McKoy had 12 points, and L.G. Gill added 11 points and a team-leading seven rebounds off the bench for the Dukes, who had 16 turnovers and couldn’t take advantage of a 44-28 rebounding edge.

After leading 40-26 at the break and 52-38 with 15:30 to play, VCU saw the hosts pull within 64-62 on a Darius Lewis dunk with 2:28 remaining. The Rams, however, scored the next five points, including a 3-pointer from Johnson, to go up 69-62 with 38 seconds to play and closed out the win from there.

Duquesne held a 15-9 lead early, but VCU finished the half with a 31-11 run to take the 14-point lead into intermission. The Rams hit eight 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes while forcing nine turnovers.

GAME NOTEBOOK: VCU’s 10-game winning streak is the program’s longest since a 13-game run in 2012-13. ... The Rams are now 115-12 in coach Shaka Smart's five-plus seasons when scoring 70 or more points. … VCU, which finished with nine steals, has had at least five steals and forced 12 or more turnovers in its last 14 games.