Rams drop Union with second-half surge

Senior Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C./Westover) posted a game-high 25 points for VCU, and the rest fell into place as the Rams won their exhibition opener, 91-63, Friday against the visiting Virginia Union Panthers.

VCU set the tone early with outside shooting. Maynor followed up a missed 3-pointer by Brandon Rozzell (Richmond/Highland Springs) on the same possession with a 3-pointer of his own for the game’s first score. The Rams then missed their next seven 3-point attempts. They finished the game making nine of their last 19 3-pointers.

The biggest hurdle for the Rams in last season’s exhibition schedule was acclimating eight new players to the team. This year, there are only three freshmen.

“The freshmen we have this year have done a great job adjusting,” said VCU Head Coach Anthony Grant.

Freshmen Bradford Burgess (Midlothian/Benedictine) and Terrance Saintill (North Miami, Fla./Monsignor Place) didn’t start the game, but entered in the first wave of substitutions. They immediately made their presence felt. Burgess reached into Branden McDonald’s passing lane and pushed the ball upcourt to Saintill, who converted a layup and evened the score at 10.

“The coaches always tell me to just affect the team,” Burgess said.

Virginia Union was able to match the runs of VCU and held a brief lead early, but never extended it to more than three points. The Rams outscored the Panthers 18-12 in the paint in the first half, but much of that came from perimeter players penetrating for layups.

“In the first half, our big guys didn’t do a good job of making themselves available,” Grant said.

The Rams’ offense opened up after halftime and led to more second-chance points. VCU outscored Virginia Union 53-21 in the half and opened up its largest lead of 31 three times in the last five minutes. The Rams tallied 24 turnovers and turned the ball over just 12 times.

“In the second half, VCU showed they were the bigger, better team,” said Virginia Union Head Coach Willard Coker. “They dominated us.”

Five Rams were unavailable against the Panthers. According to Grant, T.J. Gwynn (Burlington, N.C./Cummings) strained his back during practice Thursday, Lance Kearse (Fort Myers, Fla./Fort Myers) has not yet been medically cleared to play and Myk Brown (Gainesville, Fla./P.K. Yonge) was in Florida, but is expected to return this week. Franck Ndongo (Yaounde, Cameroon/Montverde Academy) and Jay Gavin (Seat Pleasant, Md./Bishop McNamara) are out for the season because of a knee injury and transfer eligibility, respectively.

Despite the absences, the Rams had some experience to rely on.

“They have great depth,” Coker said. “They keep fresh people there on you.”

The Downtown Showdown was the third consecutive win for VCU over nearby Virginia Union.

“It’s a game that helps us and it helps them,” Grant said. “It’s good for the city.”

VCU will host Virginia State on Wednesday before opening the regular season Sunday against The Citadel.