Rams shoot their way into semis
Any time you are the No. 1 seed in a conference that is as difficult as the CAA there undoubtedly will be pressure.
The pressure and expectations for the VCU Rams might never have been higher than they were on Saturday.
The quarterfinal opponent was the Georgia State Panthers, who the Rams crushed 69-41 only one week ago.
(March 8) — Any time you are the No. 1 seed in a conference that is as difficult as the CAA there undoubtedly will be pressure.
The pressure and expectations for the VCU Rams might never have been higher than they were on Saturday.
The quarterfinal opponent was the Georgia State Panthers, who the Rams crushed 69-41 only one week ago.
This time around the spread would not quite be 28, but VCU was able to come out victorious, advancing to Sunday’s semifinal, by a score of 61-52.
“In these types of tournaments it’s survive and advance,” VCU coach Anthony Grant said.
In front of what was basically a home crowd at the Richmond Coliseum, the Rams came out strong hitting six out of their first nine shots. Although they were not able to gain a large advantage in the first half, they led throughout the entire first stanza.
VCU then closed the half on a 9-0 run, capped of by a Larry Sanders (Ft. Meyers, Fla./ Port St. Lucie) dunk at the buzzer, which electrified the crowd and sent the Rams to the locker room with some momentum.
As many VCU second halves do, this second half became Eric Maynor’s (Raeford, N.C./Westover). The senior point guard took over, scoring 16 of his team-high 18 in the second half, and the Rams pulled away.
The statistic that separated the two teams down the stretch was 3-point shooting. The Rams shot a blistering 88 percent in the second half, and finished 9-15 for the game.
Bradford Burgess (Midlothian/Benedictine) had a huge day from the perimeter, knocking down all three of his attempts.
“We made some timely shots. I thought Bradford today stepped up, in the second half especially,” Grant said. “It seemed like we were able to make shots when they were in the midst of runs.”
All told, the Rams allowed a gritty Georgia State team to close the margin late behind spectacular play from guard Joe Dukes. But the effort was just not enough as VCU closed the door from the foul line.
Joe Dukes, a Panther transfer, exited his first CAA tournament with an impressive 24- point day. No other Panther scored in double-figures.
“I just wanted to be aggressive and put my team on my back and give us a chance to win the game,” Dukes said.
Brandon Rozzell (Richmond/Highland Springs) had a huge game for VCU, scoring 12 off the bench and Burgess finished with 11 on 4-4 shooting.
The Rams will have another rematch with archrival Old Dominion Sunday at 3 p.m. in the semifinals. The Monarchs won in the final seconds over Hofstra to seal their birth in the semis.