Game 20: VCU 72, GSU 68

White Out

@The Siegel

Box Score

VCU (15-5, 7-4) celebrated Homecoming Saturday night by dropped Georgia State (9-14, 3-8), 72-68, in a Colonial Athletic Association game at the Siegel Center in snowy Richmond, Va.

Junior Joey Rodriguez led the way for the Rams with 22 points, nine assists and four rebounds.

Georgia State led early, holding an 18-14 advantage with nine minutes to go in the first half before VCU scored seven straight to take a 21-18 lead.

The diehard crowd who braved the snow would see VCU take a 45-32 halftime lead into the locker room against a team that it has beaten 12 consecutive times since Georgia State joined the CAA.

The Panther defense came of the break energized holding the Rams to just nine points in the first 12 ½ minutes of the second half and forcing 15 second-half turnovers.

VCU had just two turnovers in the first half.

With a 13-point lead reduced to five with 5:30 left, Ed Nixon made a driving layup, was fouled and converted the three-point play. With Georgia State down seven with under 2 minutes remaining, Nixon again came to the rescue hitting a long 3-pointer to closeout the game for VCU.

Nixon was one of five Rams in double figures. Joey Rodriguez had 22 points, Larry Sanders 13 points and 13 rebounds, Brandon Rozzell 12 points, and freshman Darius Theus a career-high 10, all in the first half. Rodriguez, who went into the game eighth in the country with an average of 6.1 assists per game, had nine assists and three turnovers. He was 12 of 13 from the foul line as VCU hit 30 of 35 foul shots.

Sanders tallied his sixth double-double of the year and third straight

Joe Dukes led the Panthers with 17 points on 6-of-20 shooting, while grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. Dukes was held to just 1-of-11 shooting in the final 20 minutes.

With the win, the Black & Gold move into fifth place in the CAA standings with seven conference games remaining. In order to claim one of the first-round byes in the CAA tournament the Rams need to be in the top four regular-season finishers.

VCU will try to continue its climb from Wednesday when they travel to the Trask Coliseum for a 7 p.m. matchup with the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington.

Snowmageddon: VCU vs. Georgia State

Weather permitting, the Rams (6-4, 14-5) will take their 10-1 home mark into tonight’s homecoming game against Georgia State (3-7, 9-13), at 8 p.m. at Verizon Wireless Arena at the Siegel Center.

VCU is coming off a 112-53 thrashing of Towson and now sits at 14-5 overall, 6-4 in the CAA. The Rams will be looking for their 12th straight victory over the Panthers after defeating Georgia State, 82-69, two weeks ago in Atlanta.

Joey Rodriguez scored 21-points for VCU, which shot 61 percent from the field. He was 8 of 12 from the field and had seven assists, three rebounds and just two turnovers.

Jamie Skeen added 16 points on 8 of 10 shooting and Bradford Burgess added 14 points, including 4-for-5 from three-point range, and Easy Ed Nixon hit three treys off the bench.

Larry Sanders, hampered by a foot injury, contributed 8 points and 11 boards.

The Panthers feature 5 transfers from BCS schools headlined by the backcourt tandem of Joe Dukes and Trae Goldston.

Dukes, a 6-1 senior from Cuthbert, Ga., is a preseason selection to the All-CAA second team after earning third-team honors a year ago. The dynamic guard averages 13.5 points per game, along with 5.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.7 steals per game. He ranks 12th in the CAA in scoring as well as fourth in steals, 14th in assists, 14th in field goal percentage (.423) and 20th in rebounding.

Goldstean averages 11.4 ppg (19th CAA), including 2.0 treys per game (sixth CAA) and a 41-percent accuracy rate from long range (fifth CAA). He has moved into second place in GSU history with 182 career three-pointers.

Georgia State has never beaten VCU since joining the CAA.

VCU is currently in the midst of a 14 game win streak on Homecoming. The Rams have not lost a homecoming game dating back to the 1994-95 season.

The Black & Gold are also 1-0 when a Winter Weather Advisory is in effect this season. The Rams defeated Tulane 78-77 on December 19. Granted the game was played in New Orleans, there was a foot of snow blanketing Richmond.

Game 19: Rams 115, Towson 53

Heat Check!

@The Siegel

Box Score

The Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team absolutely dismantled the Tigers of Towson University (4-16, 1-9 CAA) 112-53 Wednesday night at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

The Rams (14-5, 6-4 CAA) set school records for most points scored in the 10-year history of the Siegel Center and most three-pointers in a single game, tying a single-game CAA record with 20 threes and fourth-most assists in a game with 30.

The 115-point outburst was the most points scored by the Rams since the 1978-79 season.

Sophomore Bradford Burgess led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of-10 shooting in just 22 minutes of action. Junior Larry Sanders registered his sixth double-double of the season in the first half and finished with 17 points and 14 boards in 19 minutes and junior Joey Rodriguez came up three assists shy of a single-game record with 13, 10 of those coming in the first-half.

The Rams connected on its first seven field goals and jumped out to a 21-9 lead with 15:53 showing on the first-half clock. VCU went into halftime with a commanding 23-point lead. Sanders had combined for 27 points.

VCU opened the second half on a 24-6 run while Towson missed nine of its first 10 shots. Freshman Jay Gavin continued the onslaught from behind the arc going a perfect 4-of-4 in second half finishing with 14 points, while senior T.J. Gwynn added 11 points off the bench. Junior Brandon Rozzell continued his hot shooting at the Siegel going 4-of-5 from beyond the arc for 16 points.

The Ram defense stifled Towson holding the Tigers to 8-of-27 shooting in the second half and just 21 points as the Black & Gold cruised to a 59 point victory.

Josh Thornton and Jarrel Smith led Towson with 12 points, while Isaiah Philmore added 11 points and five rebounds for the Tigers.

Homecoming week continues Saturday with an 8 p.m. showdown with Panthers of Georgia State.

Who’s Got Next: Towson

VCU (13-5 overall, 5-4 CAA) looks to right the ship tonight when they take on the Tigers of Towson (4-15 overall, 1-8 CAA) at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

The Rams are 15-1 against Towson since the Tigers joined the league in the 2001-02 season. VCU is averaging 79.1 points per game against the Tigers who are averaging just 62.6 points per game in the series.

Towson has dropped 10 of its last 11 games, the lone victory coming against the team with which it shares last place in the CAA, Delaware.

Junior Robert Nwankwo has been one of the few bright spots for the Tigers. He leads the CAA in rebounding, blocked shots, field goal percentage and is the only player in the league averaging a double-double with 10.4 points per game and 10.3 rebounds a game. Senior guard Josh Thornton is averaging 12.1 points per game and has made 51 three-pointers. The Tigers have not had a winning season under sixth-year Coach Pat Kennedy, who has averaged 19 losses per season.

The Rams are coming off a tough week in the CAA having rolled past William & Mary 81-59 Wednesday, then having a four-game win streak snapped at Northeastern Saturday. Junior Larry Sanders averaged 20.0 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game for the week, including his fifth double-double of the year at NU. Sanders ranks among the top five in the CAA in scoring, rebounding, FG percentage and blocked shots.

Junior Joey Rodriguez posted his first career double-double against W&M with 18 points, 10 assists and just one turnover. Rodriguez, who tops the CAA in assists with 5.7 apg and steals at 2.1 spg, is averaging 17.3 ppg over his last four games.

The Rams are 9-1 this season at the Siegel Center. Tip-off is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m.

Game 18: VCU 62, NU 74

Northeastern Owns VCU

@ Matthews Arena, Boston

Box Score

The Huskies tied the third-longest winning streak in school history with a 74-62 victory over Virginia Commonwealth at Matthews Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The Huskies controlled a 35-31 halftime lead and extended it to 49-41 on an Ojougboh jumper with 12:53 to go, VCU rallied to pull within 53-50 on a putback by Sanders with 9:38 left but Chaison Allen answered for the Huskies, knocking down a 3-pointer that sparked a decisive 11-2 run.

NU (13-7, 8-1 Colonial Athletic Association) remained in a first-place tie with George Mason in the league standings, getting double-digit production from four of its starters.

Nkem Ojougboh led the Huskies with 18 points. He also had seven rebounds. Junior guard Chaisson Allen had 16 points to go with six boards, while senior Matt Janning had 15 points and eight boards and Manny Adako contributing 12 points.

Larry Sanders lead the way for the Rams with 22 points and 10 rebounds. Six of his rebounds came at the offensive end, and the Rams led the Huskies 15-4 in offensive rebounds, but they could not convert those extra chances into meaningful points.

Northeastern shot 58.5 percent (24-for-41) from the field and held Virginia Commonwealth's to just 37.9 percent (22-for-58).

Sophmore Jamie Skeen was just 2 of 8 from field with 6 points and junior Joey Rodriguez was 3 of 13 from the field with 9 points.

Northeastern has won 11 consecutive games overall, the third longest active streak in the country. With a 62-57 victory three weeks ago, the Huskies became the first team to sweep VCU in the regular season since 2005-06.

The Rams have dropped three straight to Northeastern and there bid for a fourth consecutive regular-season CAA title has most likely ended.

At the halfway point of the CAA schedule, VCU (5-4, 13-5) is three games behind Northeastern (8-1, 13-7), and fell to sixth in the league behind Drexel.

The Rams will have to refocus and look to finish in the top four so they can get a first-round bye in the CAA tournament.

The Rams the next game will be at home against the Tigers of Towson University on Wednesday evening for a 7:30 p.m. contest.

Who's Got Next: Northeastern Round 2

The Rams (13-4 overall, 5-3 in CAA) travel to Boston to take on the Huskies of Northeastern (12-7 overall, 7-1 in CAA), holders of the third-longest active winning streak in the nation, Saturday in a critical CAA contest at Matthews Arena at 2 p.m.

The Huskies have won 10 straight games for the first time since 1987. At 7-1 in the CAA, NU needs a win to keep its share of first place in the league with Old Dominion and George Mason.

This is the 10th all-time meeting between these two teams, and the Rams lead the series 5-4, but the Huskies have won two straight. In their last meeting NU knocked off the Rams 62-57 on their home floor for the second consecutive season. NU is the only team to beat VCU at the Siegel Center in its last 25 games.

In eight conference games this season, the Huskies are shooting 39.3 percent (46-for-117) from three-point range, leading the league in that category. NU is also tops in the CAA in field goal percentage, ranking first at 45.8 percent.

Chaisson Allen is shooting 55.0 percent (22-for-40) from behind the arc in CAA contests. He hit 4-of-6 treys and scored a team-high 16 points in win at Towson on Wednesday, which was his 10th double-figure effort in the last 11 games.

NU is allowing a league-low 53.2 ppg in CAA play and hasn’t given up more than 61 points in a conference contest.

Since NU’s last meeting with VCU, the Rams have gone 4-1, the lone loss coming at Drexel. The Rams have taken down Delaware, Hofstra, Georgia State and William & Mary by an average of 15 points, including a 22-point drubbing of the Tribe just three days ago. The Rams are averaging over 80 points per game (80.2 ppg) during the streak and are connecting on 50.2% from the field. Defensively, VCU is holding opponents to 65.0 ppg, while forcing 15 turnovers a game.

Since the Christmas Break Joey Rodriguez averaging 14.5 points, 6.5 assists and is shooting 48.3% from the field. Even more impressive is the fact that his assist-to-turnover ratio is nearly 4-to-1 (3.7-to-1, 52 assists,14 turnovers). The junior tops the CAA in assists with 5.8 apg and steals at 2.2 spg.

Junior Larry Sanders has been equally impressive for the Black & Gold, averaging 19 points and eight rebounds in the three games since his suspension for a flagrant foul against Drexel. He is shooting an impressive 76.7% (23-30) from the field over that three game span.

Game 17: VCU 81, William & Larry 59

Retribution: VCU Dominates William and Mary in Rematch

@the Seigel

Box Score

Joey Rodriguez scored 18 points and dished out 10 assists as the Rams ended William & Mary’s school-record seven-game road winning streak in an 81-59 drubbing Wednesday night in front of a sold out Verizon Wireless Arena.

The Tribe entered the game winners of 14 of their last 15 and off to a program-best 6-1 in CAA play. They were also looking for their first regular-season win at VCU since the 1999-00 season. But VCU's full-court press and man-to-man defense caused problems for William & Mary shooters most of the night as the Rams avenged a December defeat in Williamsburg.

The Rams jumped out to a 15-4 lead early behind six points from big man Larry Sanders, before the Tribe worked their way back into the game. The Tribe’s Danny Sumner hit a three-pointer with less than 30 seconds remaining in the half to send VCU into the locker room with a 31-26 advantage.

William & Mary came out of the half inspired quickly cutting the VCU lead to 33-31 on a Sumner fast break dunk forcing a the Rams into a timeout.

The Black & Gold came out of the time out and got a three-point play from Jamie Skeen and a 3-pointer from Brandon Rozzell to push the VCU lead back to eight.

The lead reached 15 behind a trio of Terrance Saintil buckets culminating in a steal and one-handed slam by the sophomore.

“I really thought Terrance was a difference maker tonight,” VCU head coach Shaka Smart said after the game. “He had three huge steals and caused a lot of problems for them at the top of the key defensively.”

Back-to-back 3-pointers from Bradford Burgess and Ed Nixon, sandwiched in between a Burgess block of a David Schneider layup, put the Rams up 57-38 with 9:35 to play and brought the crowd at the Siegel Center to its feet.

VCU closed out the game going a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the 22-point victory.

"We talked about having an urgency to close out on them, because they have five guys that can shoot," said VCU guard Joey Rodriguez

William and Mary, leading the Colonial Athletic Association with a 38.8 shooting percentage from 3-point range and second in the league with 74.4 points per game, shot just 7-of-27 from long range.

William & Mary’s Danny Sumner led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, while Markus Kitts added16 points and 11 rebounds for the Tribe.

Larry Sanders finished with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Rozzell added 15 points for the Rams.

VCU, winners of four straight, improves to 13-4 overall and 5-3 in CAA play while William & Mary falls to 14-4 on the season and 6-2 in the conference.

The Rams travel to Boston Saturday to take on Northeastern. The Huskies beat the Rams 62-57 at the Siegel Center on Jan. 4. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m.