On the Road Again: VCU vs Hampton

The Rams (2-1) look to put together two straight wins Monday when they travel to Hampton, Virginia to take on the Pirates of Hampton University (0-2).

HU’s basketball program is coming off a tumultuous summer, which saw the hiring of first-year head coach Ed Joyner and the shocking death of senior captain Theo Smalling in an accidental shooting.

The Pirates are lead by a trio of seniors. Senior guard Vinny Simpson (11.7 points per game) and senior forward Mike Freeman (7.7 ppg) are the Pirates' two returning leading scorers while senior guard Jonathan Ntoko plays a supporting roll off the bench.

Hampton finished 2008-2009 with a 16-16, 8-8 MEAC record. They are picked by most experts to finish 8th in the MEAC this year.

Virginia Commonwealth won last year’s meeting against the Pirates 59-54.

Larry Sanders supplied a then career-high 21 points and 19 rebounds and scored two clutch buckets for VCU down the stretch.

The Rams are coming off an impressive victory against the 17th ranked Sooners of Oklahoma. It was the Rams first victory over a nationally ranked opponent since January 8, 1994 when 11th-ranked Louisville fell to VCU, 93-89, in overtime.

Game time at the Convocation Center is set for a 7 p.m.

Game 3: VCU 82, OU 69

Rams Spoil the Return of Former Head Coach Jeff Capel

11/21/2009

Richmond, VA

Box Score

Tonight marked the first time in the 10 year history of the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Siegel Center that a nationally-ranked opponent would square off against VCU. The Rams seizing on the moment did not disappoint.

Sophomore Jay Gavin scored 20 points and Larry Sanders added 17 has Virginia Commonwealth upset No. 17 Oklahoma 82-69 on Saturday night.

Keying off the sharp shooting of Gavin the Rams used a 20-8 spurt to take control of the game early in the first half. VCU hit six straight 3-pointers during the run. The Rams would never trail extending their lead by has many as 17 points.

The Rams stingy defense caused problems all night for preseason All-American candidate Willie Warren who was held to just 8 points and forced into 6 turnovers. Junior Ed Nixon who was chiefly responsible for guarding Warren also scored 10 points.

"Our intensity level was through the roof tonight,” added Jay Gavin. “We concentrated on defense for 40 minutes."

Senior Tony Crocker led the Sooners with 19 points and Tiny Gallon added 15. Preseason All-American point guard Willie Warren held to just 8 points and was forced into 6 turnovers.

The Rams return to action on Monday, November 23, when they travel to University of Hampton. Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Virginia Commonwealth University won last year’s meeting against the Pirates 59-54.

Rams return to Action Saturday against Oklahoma

After serving four years as head coach, VCU will welcome back Jeff Capel on Saturday when his 17^th ranked Oklahoma Sooners lock horns with the 1-1 Rams.

VCU will be looking to avenge last year’s 81-70 loss to then fourth-ranked Oklahoma in the All-College Classic.

Leading the way for OU will be sophomore All-America candidate Willie Warren and senior Tony Crocker. The back court duo combined for 70 starts last year .

Warren recorded seven games of at east 20 points as a freshman while Crocker finished with a game-high 26 points and hit 5-of-6 3-point attempts in last year’s meeting between the Rams and Sooners.

The Rams are coming off a tough loss to Western Michigan on Wednesday. Virginia Commonwealth led by has many as 17 points in the first half but struggled to score in the second half ultimately loosing the contest 83-67.

VCU will be looking for improved performances from Larry Sanders and Bradford Burgess who had career-highs in a losing effort for Virginia Commonwealth University last year.

As head coach of VCU, Capel recorded a 79-41 (.658) overall record and a 50-22 (.694) mark in Colonial Athletic Association play. His Rams boasted a 47-11 overall home record for a staunch .811 winning percentage.

In 2003-04, he guided VCU past George Mason in the CAA Tournament championship game catapulting the Rams to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996.

Oklahoma posted a 30-6 mark in 2008-09 and made the program's first Elite Eight showing since 2003.

Game time at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center is set for 7:30 p.m.

Game 2, WMU 83, VCU 67

Second Half Slow Down

11/18/2009

KALAMAZOO, Mich.

Box Score

Martelle McLemore had a game-high 22 points and David Kool had 17 as Western Michigan (1-1) rallied to beat VCU 83-67 Wednesday night.

Virginia Commonwealth led by has many as 17 points and had a 42-35 advantage at halftime but struggled to score in the second half. The Broncos took the lead during an 11-0 run midway through the second half.

Sophomore Bradford Burgess led Virginia Commonwealth (1-1) with 16 points. Brandon Rozell had 12 points and sophomore Jay Gavin added 10 for the Rams.

Preseason All-CAA First Team selection Larry Sanders, spent most of the night on the bench with foul trouble finishing with just 7 points and 7 rebounds in 20 minutes.

The Broncos also out-rebounded VCU, 29-12, in the second half and outscored the fast-paced Rams, 15-2, in second-chance points.

The Rams welcome home former head coach Jeff Capel on Saturday when they face off against 17th-ranked Oklahoma. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m.

VCU Squares Off Against WMU in First Road Game

Coming off a 77-51 win over Bethune-Cookman in the season opener the Rams will be on the road tonight when they square off against the Broncos of Western Michigan.

This marks the second straight year these two have met with the Broncos making the trip to Richmond last year. VCU won the contest, 79-62, behind Eric Maynor who registered 29 points and Kirill Pishchalnikov who registered his only career double-double with 15 points and 14 rebounds.

The Broncos are coming off their second consecutive Mid-American Conference West championship.

Western Michigan returns 3 starters from a season ago, Academic All-America guard David Kool, MAC All-Freshman Team forward Flenard Whitfield and senior center Donald Lawson. The Broncos will also look to work five freshmen into their rotation.

The Broncos are lead by senior standout David Kool. Kool led the MAC with 17.9 points per game last season, 18.7 points per game in conference play, and was the first WMU player to lead the league in scoring since 1987.


In its history, the Black & Gold are 10-6 overall against the MAC with eight of those 10 wins coming against Akron (4-0 all-time) and Buffalo (4-0 all-time).

VCU went just 7-6 in road contests a season ago, including dropping three of its final four.

Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. The game will broadcasted live here.

Game 1, VCU 77, Bethune-Cookman 51

J-Rod Runs the Show

11/13/2009

@ The Siegel

Box Score

Junior Joey Rodriguez led four players in double figures with 17 points and VCU routed the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman 77-51 on Friday night in the season opener for both teams.

Larry Sanders had 12 points and six rebounds and transfer Jay Gavin had 12 points and Bradford Burgess added 10 points for the Rams.

VCU dominated the game and led by as many as 32 points in the second half. They were 11 of 24 from behind the three point line and hit 20 of 27 free throws.

The Rams defense pressed Bethune-Cookman into 20 turnovers and held the Wildcats to just 34.7 percent (17-for-49) from the floor.

C.J. Reed had 21 points for B-CU to lead all scorers. Alexander Starling added 11 points and 10 rebounds for the Wildcats.

The Rams return to action next Wednesday when they head to Michigan to face Western Michigan. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Eric Maynor Gets First Career Start

With Deron Williams sidelined for Friday’s game against the Philadelphia 76ers, the duties as top point guard fell to rookie Eric Maynor.

In his first NBA start, Maynor had 13 points (6-of-14 FGs), four rebounds, and 11 assists in 36 minutes of work. Maynor had played only 31 minutes all season before this game.

The Jazz drafted Maynor, 22, in the first round (20th overall) of this year's draft. At VCU, he averaged 22.4 points, 6.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game as a senior.

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