Men’s hoops bounces back against Northeastern, Belmont

Alonzo Small
Contributing Writer 

After losing two of three games in San Juan, Puerto Rico, the VCU men’s basketball team used a pair of victories against Northeastern University and Belmont University on Nov. 29 and Dec. 1 respectively to get back on track.

The Rams dropped out of the AP Top-25 after a disappointing tournament appearance, but head coach Shaka Smart found success with a new starting lineup against the Huskies and VCU topped Belmont 81-68 for its second consecutive victory.

Redshirt senior Terrance Shannon and junior Treveon Graham, who both started the season’s first six games, watched the opening tip from the bench against the Bruins and Huskies. Redshirt freshman Mo-Alie Cox and sophomore Melvin Johnson started in their place.

The switch-up paid off for Graham and Johnson, who scored 16 points apiece against Belmont on Sunday. Shannon missed his second consecutive game to attend family matters, VCU said, but Reddic held down the post and contributed 18 points of his own.

The Rams got off to a slow start against the Bruins, and Belmont knocked down four of its first five three-point attempts to take an early lead. Head coach Shaka Smart made some defensive adjustments;  VCU closed the gap before taking a 38-35 lead into halftime.

A 22-2 VCU run in the middle stages of the second half helped the Rams turn a six-point deficit into a double-digit lead, and VCU never looked back. Smart’s squad scored 21 points off of 21 Bruins turnovers, and the Rams opened December with a quality road win against Belmont.

On Friday, Graham contributed a season-high 24 points off the bench against Northeastern. The Rams struggled to separate from the Huskies for much of the contest, carrying just a three-point lead into halftime, but eventually pulled away behind Graham’s 13 second-half points.

VCU, the nation’s leader in steals per game, forced 16 Northeastern turnovers on the night and shot 55 percent from the field en route to its fifth victory of the season. Northeastern failed to convert a single field goal in the final 9:55 of play.

Three Rams scored in double-figures and Smart relied heavily on his starters, who played a combined 143 minutes overall. Graham, who suffered a minor injury and didn’t practice the two days leading up to the game, added 31 minutes off the bench.

Freshman JeQuan Lewis was the only other bench player to contribute double-digit minutes. He tallied four assists in 11 minutes of play.

Free throw shooting was an issue for the Rams, who shot just 41 percent from the line against the Huskies. Before Sunday’s contest against Belmont, VCU was shooting just 65 percent from the charity stripe on the season, which ranked 288th in the nation.

In the first start of his career, Cox blocked tallied seven points and five blocks.

Fellow redshirt freshman Jordan Burgess missed his fourth consecutive game on Sunday with a sprained knee.

Up next for VCU is Eastern Kentucky University at home on Thursday, Dec. 5. Old Dominion University will also visit the Siegel Center on Sunday, Nov. 8 before the Rams hit the road to take on the University of Northern Iowa on Saturday, Dec. 14.