Rams drop 2 of 3 in Puerto Rico Tip-Off

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Sonny Weems scored

16 points and Patrick Beverley added 13 to lead No.
18 Arkansas to a 70-60 victory over VCU on Sunday
in a consolation game at the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.

The Razorbacks (3-1) led 34-24 at halftime and held
the Rams at bay during the second half. An alley-oop
dunk by Weems made it 56-47 with 8:38 to play.
Darian Townes scored inside with 1:36 remaining
to make it 65-56, and Arkansas closed out the game
from there.

Michael Anderson (Virginia Beach/Landstown) led
VCU with 16 points, but the Rams (2-2) were held to
33 percent shooting. Arkansas shot 50 percent.

New Arkansas coach John Pelphrey was upset
with his team after a 67-51 loss to Providence in the
semifinals. The Razorbacks turned the ball over 32
times in that game.

Pelphrey said then that Arkansas would have
double-session practices Saturday. The Razorbacks
had 17 turnovers against VCU – a fairly high but
more manageable number.

Townes had 10 points and seven rebounds, and
Weems added eight rebounds of his own. Gary Ervin
added 12 points for Arkansas.

Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C./Westover) had 12
points and five assists for the Rams, and Jamal Shuler
(Jacksonville, N.C./Jacksonville) added 12 points.
Shuler was 4 of 17 from the field.

Arkansas started quickly, taking a 24-9 lead on
Michael Washington’s free throw with 7:59 left in
the first half.

Pelphrey took over at Arkansas in the offseason
after Stan Heath was fired. The Razorbacks went to
the NCAA tournament the last two seasons, but lost in
the first round each time. Arkansas returned all its key
players from 2006-2007, which is why the Razorbacks
were in the Top 25 entering the season.

They figure to drop after the loss to Providence,
but how far remains to be seen.

Beverley, the team’s leading returning scorer, needed
just five field goal attempts to score his 13 points. He
made one of Arkansas’ two 3-pointers and went 6 of
6 from the free throw line.

The Razorbacks outrebounded VCU 41-28.

Game 2: Miami 69, VCU 63

Maynor recorded game highs with 27 points and
six assists, but it was not enough to help the Rams
overcome a 15-point halftime deficit. The Hurricanes
led 36-21 at halftime, but Maynor’s play helped the
Rams win the second half 42-33. In the end, the
halftime deficit and the strong play of Miami’s Anthony
King proved too much. King finished with 10 points
and a game-high 15 rebounds for the Hurricanes.

Game 1: VCU 73, Houston 72

Shuler scored 20 points and Anderson scored a
career-high 18 as the Rams overcame a 33-30 halftime
deficit to take the win. After shooting 33.3 percent in
the first half, VCU caught fire in the second, shooting
55 percent, while holding Houston to 37.5 percent in
the second half and under 40 percent for the game.

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Inside the numbers

VCU (2-2): Fameni 6, Brown 0, Pishchalnikov 1, Rodriguez 3, Gwynn 2, Shuler 12, Maynor 12, Ndongo
0, Sanders 0, Anderson 16, Kearse 8. Totals: 17 21-28 60. 3-pointers: Shuler 3, Maynor, Anderson.

Arkansas (3-1): Hill 3, Beverley 13, Hunter 4, Ervin 12, Welsh 2, Townes 10, Weems 16, Washington 6,
Thomas 4. Totals: 26 16-22 70. 3-pointers: Beverley, Ervin.