Rams can’t keep up with hot-shooting Hofstra

In conference tournament play every game is a grudge match, and this was no different. Even the mascots were getting in each other’s faces.

No. 6 Virginia Commonwealth University struggled again from 3-point range in the second round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament Saturday, but they still managed to hang with No. 3 Hofstra until the very end as the Rams fell 72-66 in a dogfight.

After fourth-seeded Old Dominion went down and conference powerhouse George Mason barely survived 10th-ranked Georgia State earlier in the day, tensions were high and tempers ran short in the Richmond Coliseum. The stage was set for another upset, but the Rams were unable to come away with the win.

“I thought we had opportunities down the stretch to win the game, but the ball didn’t go in for us,” Rams coach Jeff Capel said after the game. “We had some good looks, but we want to congratulate Hofstra.”

The Pride, the highest-scoring team in the CAA this season, dominated the first half with guard Antoine Agudio scoring 20 of his game-high 34 points to lead his team into halftime up 36-29. The Rams managed to hang in the game, however, trailing 62-56 with 3:24 left.

The Pride was poised for a second-half collapse with the crowd overwhelmingly in favor of the Rams after VCU mascot Rodney the Ram was ejected for inappropriate behavior. The Pride defense managed to neutralize the Rams and any momentum VCU could gain with a stringent

zone defense.

After both teams traded field goals for a brief period, senior Nick George (Manchester, England) helped the Rams get back in the game when he capped a 7-2 run with a 3-pointer to bring the score to 66-64 with 1:08 left.

With both teams in the double bonus after piling up more than 10 team fouls, Jamal Shuler (Jacksonville, N.C.) was called for back-to-back fouls that sent the Pride’s Aurimas Kieza and Carlos Rivera to the line to shoot. Each hit one of two to increase the Pride’s lead to four.

As time slipped away, freshman point guard Eric Maynor (Fayetteville, N.C.) drove into the lane to hit a quick diving layup to cut the deficit to two.

But the points were too little too late. Forced to foul, the Rams sent Greg Johnson and Agudio to the line. Both Pride teammates buried both sets of free throws along with the Rams’ shot at the conference title.

In his senior season, the loss could be the last game for George in the black and gold. He said he and his teammates laid it all on the line, and the loss did not come because of a lack of effort.

“I just tried to put it all out there,” he said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s your last one or not. You have to put it all out there.”

George had a solid game, scoring a team-high 28 points and grabbing 12 rebounds to fuel the Rams’ offense. The only other player to provide consistent scoring support was Maynor, who added 16 points and five assists.

No other Ram managed to score more than six points, but Michael Anderson (Virginia Beach, Landstown High School) helped out on the glass with 10 rebounds.

Agudio set the tone for the game from the very beginning, hitting three 3-pointers to put the Pride up 13-2 with 17:06 left in the first half. Agudio was the difference-maker throughout the game, hitting 9 of 12 from 3-point range. He and Kieza combined for 30 of the Pride’s first-half points.

Kieza finished with 13 points for the Pride, and point guard Loren Stokes added 12 points.

Having lost to the Rams in their only meeting this season, Hofstra coach Tom Pecora knew he needed Agudio to

step up.

“I talked to (Agudio) before the game about not being afraid to step up and make a play,” he said. “That was as good a first half as I’ve seen anyone play.”

Capel said Agudio was able to get the game going early for Hofstra and praised his ability to score.

“Whenever you have a guy who can score like he does and is as good of a shooter as he is, once you see that first one go in the rim becomes huge… He’s a scorer, that’s what he is, and he’s a very good scorer at that. He’s one of the best guards in this league.”

The loss leaves the Rams’ season in a state of limbo, with the team uncertain about their playoff future. With a shot at the National Collegiate Athletic Association Tournament out of the picture, they now have to hope for a bid from the National Invitational Tournament.

“It hurts, especially not knowing what’s going to happen, if we’re going to have some season left,” Capel said.

Regardless of their future, he said he will continue to maintain high expectations for his players during the off season.

“For us it felt like we had a nice year… We had high expectations around here in the program, we always will have that.”