SPORTS: VCU shoots past Mason 75-60, will face ODU Sunday

Taylor Howsmon
Sports Editor

Larry Sanders (Port St. Lucie, Fla./Port St. Lucie) posted his second straight double-double and Brandon Rozzell (Richmond/Highland Springs) hit four 3-pointers down the stretch, finishing with 14 points to lead VCU over fourth-seeded George Mason, 75-60 in the quarterfinals of the CAA tournament Saturday.
The Rams and Patriots played a tight, back-and-forth game for 34 minutes, but VCU used the final six to outscore Mason 24-7 en route to the 15-point victory.
“I don’t remember us being down and playing so well in the second half so it was really good to see that,” said guard Joey Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla./Lake Howell).
VCU trailed by five points early in the half and it looked as though the game would come down to the wire, but it was the shooting of Rozzell and incredibly solid defensive play which helped the Rams pull away.
“We did a terrific job in the second half defensively,” said VCU coach Shaka Smart. “They had it going from a lot of different angles so it was tough to guard them but our guys stepped up and that’s how we won.”
A stellar crowd of 8908, mostly made up of VCU/Mason fans and the ODU fans left over from the first game, saw the Rams pull away late and secure a spot to play those Monarchs in tomorrow’s semi-final.
“I can’t wait to play tomorrow against ODU,” Rodriguez said. “I spent a couple nights just praying for that game and now we got it so that’s all that matters right now.”
Rodriguez and Sanders, who each scored 17 points on the day, led the Rams; Sanders also grabbed 12 rebounds giving him his second double-double of the tournament.
Rozzell finished with 14, but as Smart said, it seemed like he had 30 because every shot he hit was big.
Ryan Pearson led the Patriots with 22 points; Luke Hancock added 11.
The Rams out rebounded Mason 39-28 and shot 59 percent in the second half, much better than the 35 they shot in the first.
VCU tips off tomorrow at 3 p.m. against top seeded arch-rival Old Dominion. The winner, seals a spot in Monday’s championship game.