Rams finish off big week, beat Hofstra

It has been an interesting week for the VCU men’s basketball team. After a surprising loss at Delaware Jan. 3, the Rams have stormed back into the CAA picture after winning three in a row, and winning those games by an average of 22 points.

The third and final victory came on Saturday as VCU (11-5, 4-1) pulled away from Hofstra, winning 68-60.

“I’m very proud of our guys the way we responded in the course of this week. A week ago we needed to understand who we were as a basketball team . and I’m very happy with the way these guys have responded,” coach Anthony Grant said, after the win.

Senior Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C./Westover) once again did what he has been able to do all season. The leading scorer in the conference scored 21 points and passed Gerald Henderson for ninth on the VCU all-time scoring list.

The two teams were even for most of the way. The Rams took a one point lead into halftime as Maynor hit a jumper at the buzzer.

VCU began to pull away with an 8-0 run at the 6:04 mark in the second half. This run pushed the VCU lead to 52-40, their largest of the afternoon.

Sophomore Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla./Port St. Lucie) continued his trend of strong performances in the week. Sanders finished the game with 16 points, and a game-high 13 rebounds.

Sophomore Joey Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla./Lake Howell) and junior Krill Pishchalnikov (Maykop, Russia/MGGTK AGU) each added 10 points.

The Rams shot 40 percent from the field and were 23 of 32 from the free-throw line.

Defensively, the Rams held a physical Pride team to its third lowest point total of the season; and held Charles Jenkins, the CAA’s third top scorer under his average (17.1 ppg).

Jenkins poured in 15 to lead the Hofstra scoring, and the Pride also got 10 from Greg Johnson.

“If we defend and rebound, we’re going to have a chance every night. That’s where we hang our hat and that allows us to be successful,” Grant said.

With the win, the Rams are now sole possessors of second place in the CAA behind 5-0 Northeastern and George Mason.

The Rams will hit the road again, playing at Towson on Wednesday night. They will return to the Siegel Center on Saturday to take on their longtime rival Old Dominion.

By the numbers:

Hofstra (10-6. 2-3): Washington 4, D Johnson 8, G. Johnson 10, Jenkins 15, Vines 6, Lester 8, Szabo 5, Dennison 4 Totals: 22 11-14 60 3-pointers: Lester 2, Szabo, Jenkins, Vines

VCU (11-5, 4-1): Sanders 16, Pishchalnikov 10, Maynor 21, Rodriguez 10, Burgess 2, Rozzell 5, Nixon 4 Totals: 22 23-32 68 3-pointers: Rozzell