A-10 Semifinal: Hawks Fall to Rams

Final Score: VCU 66, St. Joe’s 60
Location: Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Up-to-date records: #5 VCU 22-12, #9 St. Joe’s 21-13

In a Nutshell: Too much Shulga!

Nineteen of Shulga's game-high 25 points came in the second half. The sharpshooting A-10 Conference's first-team guard had himself quite a game. 

Shulga connected on 10 of his 11 attempts from the field. While he was at it, he hit three of his four shots from 3-point distance. He also grabbed four rebounds and dished for three assists. And, on defense, he made three steals. Truth be told, Shulga delivered a postseason conference tournament semifinal performance that Rams fans will surely talk about for a long time.

Other Rams who responded well to the challenge to beat a good St. Joe's team were: Jackson with 12 points and eight boards; Bairstow with 13 points and two boards; Lawal with seven points and six boards.

In all, it was a well played game by both teams. The ref's allowed a lot of contact, which is in keeping with tradition in postseason play. Which is OK by me. Let 'em play! 

The Rams led the score for 27:42. The Hawks led for 5:12. The score was tied 12 times. 

NOTES (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)

• The Rams built a 21-12 lead in the first half with 4:24 to go on a Shulga stepback jumper. The Hawks rallied with a 13-2 run and took a 25-23 lead into the half.
• VCU opened the second half on a 10-4 run and a Jackson layup gave the Rams a 33-29 lead with 16:35 left in the contest.
• The score was tied 55-55 with 3:43 remaining before a Bamisile jumper and layups from Bairstow and Jackson pushed VCU ahead 61-57 with 1:35 left.
• The Hawks cut the lead to 61-60 on the next possession but Joe Bamisile answered with a baseline dunk to pushed the lead to 63-60 with 42 seconds left. 
• The Rams got a defensive stop on the other end and sealed the game at the free throw line. 
• There were eight ties and three lead changes in the second half, but VCU never trailed in the final 12:38 of game action.
• VCU shot 51 percent (29-of-57) from the field while the Hawks shot 44 percent (24-of-55).
• VCU forced 14 St. Joe’s turnovers while committing just eight, leading 13-8 in points off turnovers.
• The Rams’ efficient scoring came by way of outscoring the Hawks 42-26 in points in the paint.
• St. Joe’s was led by Erik Reynolds who scored 18 points.
• VCU has now reached the A-10 Championship game in eight of 11 seasons in the league since joining in 2012-13. The Rams are 8-0 all-time in A-10 Semifinal contests.

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP: The Rams are now aiming to capture back-to-back A-10 tournament championships and go dancing, again. Tomorrow's tilt will pit (#5) VCU (22-12) against (#6) Duquesne (23-11). Tipoff at 1 pm. TV: CBS.