Richmond – Down by five points with just over six minutes to play, junior Wil Fameni (Duoala, Cameroon) hit a lay-up, was fouled and hit the free throw, to spark a 22-8 run and seal VCU’s seventh consecutive conference win.
The Score
VCU 74
UNCW 65
Jesse Pellot-Rosa (Richmond/George Wythe) led all scorers with 24 points, 12 in each half. It was a 3-pointer by Pellot-Rosa with 4:43 to go that put the Rams, ahead 63-60, and in the lead for good. Fameni finished with six points and a game-high seven rebounds. It’s the Rams’ six straight win overall.
“Jesse has been a leader for us since I stepped onto campus,” said first-year head coach Anthony Grant. “I wish I had him for four years.”
VCU held a 33-26 halftime lead over Wilmington, but lost the lead with 13:10 left in the second half.
“The one thing we need to improve on is our readiness to play for 40 minutes,” said Grant, whose Rams led by as many by 10 in the first half before eventually surrendering the lead.
However, Grant saw improvement throughout the final few minutes.
“I thought the last eight or nine minutes the defense played the best it had played all year.”
While VCU led for the majority of the first half, Wilmington hung around with the Rams and kept the deficit manageable.
“I knew after watching these guys on film that they were better than their record indicated. Coming into this I knew we had a war on our hands,” Grant added.
The Seahawks’ run was led by Temi Soyebo, who scored 11 of him team-high 17 points in the second half. Wilmington’s leading scorer, Vladimir Kuljanin was held to only nine points, well below his season average of 14.6.
Senior B.A. Walker (Onancock, Va./Nandua) added 20 points for the Rams, while Sophomore Eric Maynor scored 13 and added a game-high five assists.
By the numbers
UNC Wilmington (1-6 CAA, 4-12): Hendley 13, Kuljanin 9, Fountain 13, Soyebo 17, Felder 7, Downey 3, Sheets 1, Jeralds 0, Horowitz 2, Grkovic 0. Totals: 24 12-16 65. 3-pointers: Fountain 2, Soyebo, Downey, Hendley.
VCU (7-0, 15-3): Fameni 6, Anderson 3, Maynor 13, Walker 20, Pellot-Rosa 24, Coward 0, Ndongo 0, Shuler 5, Roland 2, Gwynn 1. Totals: 23 21-28 74. 3-pointers: Pellot-Rosa 5, Shuler, Walker)