VCU's Johnson injures left leg in A-10 semifinal

NEW YORK (AP) VCU guard Melvin Johnson was on crutches and in a full leg brace after injuring injured his left knee during a scramble for a loose ball in the first half of the Atlantic 10 semifinals against George Washington.

A free ball in VCU's end sent several players diving to the floor Saturday. GW came up with the ball and Nemanja Mikic hit a 3 while Johnson was down, grabbing at his knee and yelling in pain.

He was attended to on the floor and coach Shaka Smart came out to try to calm the sophomore. Johnson was helped off by two members of the VCU staff. He went to the locker room without putting weight on his injured leg.

He returned to the VCU bench a few minutes after the second half started with crutches and the brace. They didn't stop him from getting up to cheer on his teammates.

The No. 23 Rams (24-7) are a lock to reach the NCAA tournament, no matter what happens in the A-10 tournament, but now they could be without one of their top players.

Johnson is the A-10's sixth-man of the year, though he was starting against GW. The 6-foot-3 guard came in averaging 10.5 points per game, third on the team.