Back in business: Brandenberg puts slump behind him with 16 against Towson

Quinn Casteel
Assistant Sports Editor
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Towson, Md. — If anyone other than the Towson Tigers needed to put an end to a streak Wednesday night, it was Rob Brandenberg.

The sophomore guard had gone eight games without posting double-digit points and had not done so since Dec. 29 at Akron until dropping a game-high 16 points against Towson.

“It felt good to get back to the type of basketball I play,” Brandenberg said, “which is making shots and attacking the rim.”

The Ohio native went 6-of-11 from the floor on Wednesday, which included 3-of-7 from three-point range, and scored VCU’s first eight points of the evening. He also matched a season-high with four steals in just 22 minutes of playing time.

Prior to the shooting slump, Brandenberg had gone for 10 or more points in six of VCU’s first nine games and had performances of 17 and 18 points earlier in the season. Since the beginning of conference play however, his numbers began to plummet. He was in an 8-of-45 cold streak since his last double digit game, but Brandenberg said his teammates have kept him loose and confident.

“They tell me, ‘Rob keep shooting, you gonna make a shot.’ You know, little jokes like that. but my teammates always pick me up no matter what’s going on, so I’m thankful to have them as teammates,” Brandenberg said.

Brandenberg also said that the big game against Towson should help him get back in the swing offensively after what was the worst stretch of games of his career.

“It’s the first time in my whole career that I’ve been through a slump like this,” Brandenberg said. “Coach keeps telling me to just know I’m going to get back to it.”

Smart said he and Brandenberg had talked a lot about this game being the start of the second half of the season, and therefore a new beginning for the sophomore as one of the team’s primary scorers.

“It’s a fresh start for him, a new opportunity,” Smart said. “We really want to judge him from tonight moving forward. I think it’ll help him move on from the last several games.”

The next few games will be all about picking up steam for Brandenberg, who has a well-deserved reputation for being a streaky player. He said that he hopes to continue the positive momentum beginning on Saturday when the Rams play Georgia State.

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Photo by: Quinn Casteel