Rams win conference opener

After a big win over Maryland in the BB&T
Classic last Sunday, it would have been easy for
VCU to have a let-down effort against William
and Mary. This was not the case, however, as
the Rams used great defense and a late scoring
spurt to beat the Tribe 71-57 at the Stuart C.
Siegel Center on Wednesday night.

“I think that was a great win for our team,”
said VCU head coach Anthony Grant. “Any
time you have a young team, you never know
how they’ll respond from game to game.”

At the beginning of the contest, it appeared
the Rams would be in a low-scoring struggle.
VCU scored only eight points through the
opening 7:32 and trailed 16-15 before a Joey
Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla./Lake Howell) midrange
jumper gave the Rams a 17-16 lead.

William and Mary’s Alex Smith hit one of
two free throws to tie the game at 17, but Eric
Maynor (Raeford, N.C./Westover) followed
by scoring seven consecutive points to give
VCU a 24-17 lead with 5:49 left in the first
half. The Rams closed out the half with a 12-4
run, ending with a Maynor floater with two
seconds on the clock and a 26-23 lead.

Although Maynor dominated the first half,
senior Jamal Shuler (Jacksonville, N.C./Jacksonville)
dominated the second. Shuler scored
17 of his game-high 21 points in the second
frame, including two long threes in the first
three minutes that pushed the VCU lead to
16 at 44-28.

“Maynor and Shuler are outstanding players,
and they were the difference in the game,” said
William and Mary head coach Tony Shaver.
“They’re playmakers – they make shots.”

It was their ability to make shots that saved
the Rams toward the end. After a Larry Sanders
basket pushed the Rams to a 19-point lead
with 14:19 to go, the Tribe went on a 17-5
run, concluding with a Nathan Mann basket
to cut the lead to six points at 56-50 with 6:52
remaining in the game. Shuler and Maynor
combined for 13 of VCU’s final 15 points,
and the Rams finished on a 15-7 run. Maynor
finished with 15 points and a season-high
nine assists.

Although it was veteran leadership that
brought home the victory, a number of
young players came up with big numbers.
Freshman forward Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce,
Fla./Port St. Lucie) recorded seven points,
seven rebounds and four blocks in only 16
minutes of play.

Sophomore Kirill Pishchalnikov (Maykop,
Russia/MGGTK AGU) came up with two blocks
and two steals along with four points and
three rebounds. The big men are filling the
void left by Wil Fameni (Duoala, Cameroon/
Amelia Academy), who is currently sidelined
day-to-day with tendonitis in his knee. Also
of note, coach Grant decided to burn the redshirt
of Brandon Rozzell (Richmond/Highland
Springs), who played six minutes.

The Rams’ next game is against cross-town
rival Richmond. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.
at the Siegel Center.

—

By the numbers

VCU (1-0 CAA, 5-3): Sanders 7, Anderson 8, Maynor 15, Shuler 21, Nixon 2, Rozzell 0,
Pischalnikov 4, Rodriguez 5, Kearse 6, Gwynn 3. Totals: 28 10-13 71. 3-pointers: Shuler 2,
Maynor, Rodriguez, Gwynn.

William and Mary (0-1 CAA, 1-5): Smith 1, Kisielius 13, Darnell 4, Schneider 15, Mann 2,
Barnett 0, Stein 9, Carrabine 0, Sumner 13, Stratton 0. Totals: 22 6-12 57. 3-pointers: Kisielius
3, Schneider 2, Stein, Sumner.