The Rams stampede the Explorers, 96-66
VCU first-year forward Luke Bamgboye finishes off dunk. Photo by Arrick Wilson.
Andrew McGhan, Staff Writer
Drew Thompson, Staff Writer
VCU men’s basketball blew out La Salle University 96-66 on Feb. 4.
The game is a bit more personal for VCU graduate student forward Jack Clark because he spent four years playing for the Explorers, according to VCU Athletics. Clark played at La Salle from 2018 to 2022.
Clark said he thought it was great to see some familiar faces that he played with still on the team.
“It was fun to see a couple coaches and a couple players I played with,” Clark said.
But when the first whistle sounded, it was all business between the two teams.
In the opening two minutes of the first half, VCU went on a 8-0 run after being down by three, according to StatBroadcast.
VCU grabbed 10 rebounds with six of them coming from the offensive end compared to La Salle’s two total rebounds in the 11-minute mark, according to StatBroadcast.
The Rams went on a 10-0 run making the score 26-16 with VCU leading at the nine-minute mark of the first half, according to StatBroadcast.
VCU graduate student guard Phillip Russell and first-year guard Brandon Jennings scored three straight three-pointers, according to StatBroadcast.
La Salle was shooting six of 15 from the field by the eight-minute mark, according to StatBroadcast.
VCU shot 47% from the three-point arch by the three-minute mark in the first half, according to StatBroadcast.
At halftime, the Rams led the Explorers with a score of 48-28. La Salle had only made one three-pointer compared to VCU’s nine three-pointers made, according to StatBroadcast.
VCU had 25 total rebounds at halftime while La Salle had 11 total rebounds, according to StatBroadcast. VCU graduate student Joe Bamisile led the Rams in scoring with 12 points.
La Salle came out of halftime firing off a three from first-year guard Deuce Jones before VCU graduate student guard Max Shulga answered back with a three of his own.
Jones then committed a flagrant two foul on VCU’s Russell, ejecting Jones from the game.
VCU continued to apply pressure on offense highlighted by an aggressive drive from graduate student guard Zeb Jackson who converted on the and-one.
VCU went on a 19-0 run over the span of five minutes. The explosion on offense translated to the defense, as La Salle went on a concurrent five-minute scoring drought, according to StatBroadcast.
Rams first-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. made a big impact off the bench in the second half, hitting a trifecta of threes on consecutive possessions.
VCU’s efficient shooting coupled with their aggression on the boards contributed to the emphatic win, according to StatBroadcast. The Rams shot 52% from the field and 44% from three.
The Rams ended the game just four points off from 100, winning 96-66. Bamisile led the Rams in scoring with 17, with Shulga and Hill not sitting too far behind at 14 and 13 respectively.
VCU grabbed 45 rebounds with 19 of them being on the offensive end, according to StatBroadcast. VCU third-year forward Christian Fermin led the team with eight rebounds and set a new career high in blocks with five.
Fermin said he came into Tuesday’s match up with full confidence to protect the rim and to rebound missed shots because that is what his team needs him to do.
“I normally expect to protect the rim and tonight it just happened that the balls were coming my way, and I was hitting them,” Fermin said. “That’s what my team needed me to do at the moment; that’s all I did.”
VCU will play their next game against George Washington University at the Charles E. Smith Center on Feb. 12 at 7 p.m.
