GAME NOTES: Looking to lengthen a five-game win streak, the Virginia Commonwealth Rams will travel to face the Fordham Rams in an Atlantic 10 Conference battle at Rose Hill Gym on Sunday.

VCU began the season ranked in the Top-25, but several untimely losses early on dropped the Rams out of the rankings. Now they work to get back into the spotlight as conference play begins for VCU.

Fordham will also open up conference play Sunday against the opposing Rams. Fordham has won two consecutive games against Howard (74-59) and South Carolina State (74-54) to improve to 5-6 on the season. With an upset win over VCU, Fordham could get to .500 for the first time since starting 1-1.

This meeting will be the fourth all-time between VCU and Fordham. VCU has won all three previous matchups against the home Rams, which includes a sweep of last season's series between the sides.

VCU didn't overwhelm Cleveland State in the team's last outing, but the Rams were able to chip away at the Vikings and earn a 72-63 victory on 42.1 percent shooting from the floor. Treveon Graham scored 20 points to pace VCU in the win, adding in nine rebounds to nearly attain a double-double. Terry Larrier came off the bench to contribute 13 points, and Jaquan Lewis added another 12 points in the victory. VCU went 9-of-23 shooting from 3-point range, and added 15-of-21 from the free-throw line.

Although only two Rams are averaging a scoring total in double digits this season, VCU is still managing an impressive 76.4 ppg this season on 44.1 percent shooting. Graham tops the squad entering the clash with Fordham at 16.6 ppg, also adding a team-high in rebounding at 6.7 boards per outing. Melvin Johnson chips in 14.4 ppg for the Rams, and then there's a drop off to Jordan Burgess (7.5 ppg) for third on the team in scoring. The Rams have been solid defensively, holding opponents to 66.9 ppg this season on 44.4 percent shooting.

Fordham played its second consecutive contest against a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponent Wednesday, and the Rams picked up their second straight win over the conference with the 74-54 decision over South Carolina State. Fordham shot 51.9 percent from the floor, and was led in scoring by Chris Sengfelder, who netted 22 points with seven rebounds in the 20-point win. Mandell Thomas chipped in with 12 points and seven assists, and Nemanja Zarkovic rounded out the trio of double-digit Fordham scorers with 11 points. Ryan Rhoomes grabbed a team-high 11 boards in the victory.

Fordham is a respectable 5-2 at home this season; it's when the Rams hit the road (0-3) that gives the team trouble. Fordham has been steady offensively, averaging 65.1 ppg this season on 41.7 percent shooting. Eric Paschall leads a group of three Rams players in double-digit scoring, netting 15.8 ppg coming into this clash. Thomas (13.3 ppg) and Sengfelder (12.3 ppg) are the other two in the scoring category averaging more than 10 points per outing. The Rams could get a boost in this clash with the return of Jon Severe, who is probable to play after sitting out for personal reasons.

Fordham certainly could use the services of Severe, who had a stellar freshman campaign last season. While Fordham has been good at home so far, VCU is a different type of team. The visiting Rams will employ a supremely athletic offense and will try to own the tempo of the game from start to finish.