Three-point shooting lifts VCU over George Washington

Jim Swing
Sports Editor
Commonwealth Times Sports’ Twitter

GAME STORY

WASHINGTON — When Shaka Smart stepped into the Verizon Center prior to the VCU men’s basketball team’s pregame shootaround Sunday afternoon, it had a familiar feeling.

For the head coach, it had the feeling of the United Center in Chicago, where the Rams cruised to the Sweet 16 behind 18-point wins over Georgetown and Purdue. VCU poured out a combined 20 three-pointers over the course of those two games. So playing in the Verizon Center, built to house over 20,000 and nestled snuggly in the heart of the nation’s capital, couldn’t be much different.

And it wasn’t. The Rams took long range shots at free will, canning 12 three-pointers in their 75-60 win over George Washington in the BB&T Classic.

“At least for me and hopefully for a couple of these guys there’s a comfort,” the Smart said. “Like ‘we’ve played in arenas like this and won against good teams.’”

There was a method behind the madness when it came to VCU’s uncanny ability to knock down the three-pointer against the Colonials. The Rams were able to draw defenders into the lane then dish the ball out to a wide open awaiting shooter on the perimeter on several occasions.

One particular play that came in handy was the pick-and-pop that found senior Bradford Burgess open shots all day long. George Washington head coach Mike Lonergan said it was a hot topic on his team’s bench, but it still couldn’t be stopped.

“I wish we had an answer for that,” he said. “Everyone on the bench knew it was coming.”

Burgess hit four three-pointers and led VCU with 24 points and five rebounds.

“I was just open, I had a lot of open shots and I just knocked them down,” Burgess said. “Once I got it going I just tried to stay aggressive and assertive the rest of the way.”

Burgess tacked on 12 points in the first half that helped the Rams cruise into the half with a 17-point advantage. From there, the Colonials entered the second half as the aggressors. They opened the half on an 8-3 run that dwindled the VCU lead to 12. The Rams’ defense, which had forced 10 turnovers in the first half, began to look fatigued. George Washington cut the VCU lead to as little as six with five minutes remaining when guard Lasan Kromah drove to the rim for an uncontested layup.

But on the ensuing possession, VCU guard Darius Theus – not commonly known for his ability to shoot the deep ball – buried a three-pointer, his second of the day, to push the lead to nine and eventually put the nail in the coffin.

“Everyone has confidence in me shooting the ball and driving the ball,” Theus said. “So I just made a play for the team.”

The two three-pointers were the junior guard’s third and fourth of the season, and if it’s up to Smart, he’d like to keep it that way.

“Two threes is about how many he should attempt, no more than that,” he said. “But we’ll take 100 percent. He’s a guy that’s definitely better driving the ball than he is shooting from outside.”

There were just under four minutes remaining on the clock before Theus finally decided to take the ball to the basket. When he did, he was fouled, and he got the basket to go. VCU fans that had made the trip up I-95 to the Verizon Center erupted.

But the difference wasn’t the venue, nor was it the floor with the Washington Mytsics’ print written on it; the difference was a VCU team that played selfless and as a whole. Burgess, Theus, Briante Weber and Rob Brandenberg all scored in double-digits, underlining what had been an efficient day for the Rams.

“We have an unselfish team,” Smart said. “We don’t have anyone who takes shots selfishly; they all look for each other.”