Union Splits: Men’s rally crumbles late

Virginia Union left the Siegel Center with just its third win over Virginia Commonwealth in team history. The Panthers are now 3-12 against VCU in 10 regular season games and five preseason exhibitions, but it still says “0-0” next to their No. 4 ranking in the NCAA Division-II poll.

Which is why, said senior point guard Luqman Jaaber, “we didn’t celebrate” after leaving the arena with a 67-61 win for the first time since the two teams started playing the exhibition in 1999.

“We shouldn’t measure our season on this game,” said Jaaber, who scored eight of his 10 points in the first half, chipping in three assists.

The statistics don’t show how Jaaber badgered the Rams during the 36 minutes he was on the floor. There was the pass he stole from Michael Doles in the first half, the two free throws he knocked down after taking a hard foul from Renardo Dixon, and the pass that led to the assist that set up an easy layup for Panthers big man Duan Crockett.

“He’s not the best player on their team,” said VCU head coach Jeff Capel, “but he’s the heart and soul of their team.”

The best player, Capel said, was junior guard Darius Hargrove, who dropped 24 on the Rams, going a perfect 10 for 10 from the free-throw line. Hargrove was Union’s rally killer late in the game.

As they filed out of their locker room, sitting comfortably on a 17-point halftime lead, Jaaber warned his team not to let up, but they couldn’t stop the Rams from going on a 16-6 run to start the second half.

Sophomore guard Drew Johnson didn’t see the floor until the second half – Capel said “that was the coaches’ fault” – but he sparked the rally by forcing Jaaber into a double dribble just seconds into the half. He finished 2 of 5 for the night with six points and a steal, but Hargrove killed the rally Johnson started with a three-pointer with just under four minutes left in regulation. Hargrove came up with a swipe in the open court then streaked through the lane for a one-hand slam with guard B.A. Walker on his hip.

But that wasn’t enough.

Walker scored six points in the final three minutes, including a tip-in after missing a reverse layup to pull the Rams within four. Junior Nick George knocked down two free throws that came after Union forward Ralph Brown was whistled for a technical foul. That mental mistake moved the Rams to within two points and gave them a shot at a comeback.

The 6-6 Crockett swatted that shot – a left-handed layup attempt by Walker – into the photographers sitting on the baseline.

On the next play, Hargrove came up with another steal then fended off uncalled fouls to finish a layup attempt that put the Panthers up 63-59 with under a minute left.

“I’ve got a lot of respect for Union,” George said. “That kind of heart, the passion they have, the hustle they give. You can’t beat it.”

The forward scored 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for the Rams, who have been knocked during the preseason for not having an inside presence after losing Troy Godwin.

After the game, one reporter asked Capel about VCU’s “struggling” inside game, the third-year head coach responded by looking over to George and saying, “Nick, you had 22 didn’t you? OK.”

But the team’s other big men, newcomer Calvin Roland and senior Derrick Reid, combined for seven points. The team shot 40 percent from the field and made just 28 percent of their 18 shots from beyond an arc set up about six inches farther out than usual in order to get use to the experimental rules that VCU will play under in its Preseason National Invitational Tournament game against American.

“We took way too many three pointers,” Capel said. “We will not be a jump-shooting team. That’s something we absolutely cannot be.”

Capel said he looks at the loss as an opportunity to get better. After winning the Colonial Athletic Association championship last season and taking Wake Forest to the wire in the NCAA Tournament, the team is just fourth in the conference preseason poll.

The Rams don’t have any games left before their season opener against American on Nov. 15. But sometime between now and then, Capel said, “we have to be a team that plays better defense. We have to be a team that makes better decisions.”

“Am I disappointed we lost?” he said. “I’m very disappointed we lost. We played against a team that’s better than us right now. Fortunately for us it’s Nov. 5.”