VCU stiff-arms Miami's late rally; Rams 77, 'Canes 70

Final Score: VCU 77, Miami (Fla.) 70.
Location: TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
Updated Records: VCU 5-2, Miami 3-3.

In a Nutshell: As with its two previous games in Charleston, VCU raced out to a first half lead, it was 42-33 at the break. But the difference this time was that the Rams were able to hang on to withstand a scary second half comeback. VCU never trailed in the scoring. 

Rams stats: Max Shulga scored 18 points, dished for 9 assists and grabbed 8 rebounds. Joe Bamisile scored 22 points, with 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals. Zeb Jackson came off the bench to score 12 points and he pulled down 3 boards for VCU.  

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

·      Lynn Kidd led Miami with 14 points and 10 rebounds. 

·      VCU shot 51 percent (28-of-55) from the floor, while limiting the Hurricanes to just 40 percent (24-of-60) shooting, including 6-of-23 from 3-point territory.

·      The Rams matched a season-low with 11 turnovers, including just three in the first half.

·      Shulga and Bamisile ignited a 13-2 VCU run midway through the first half with back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Rams a 33-21 advantage with 6:46 left in the period

·      The Hurricanes pulled within five, at 53-48 on a bucket by Isaiah Johnson-Arigu with 12:24 remaining, but Bamisile collected a steal and took it coast-to-coast and Shulga drilled a triple to spark a 13-2 VCU run to push the Rams out to its largest lead of the day at 66-50 with 8:32 on the clock. 

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will host Elizabeth City State on Fri., Nov. 29. At that game Rams’ great Joey Rodriguez's jersey will be retired in a ceremony at the Siegel Center. Tipoff at approximately 7 p.m. TV: MASN and ESPN+. 

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Rams cough up 15-point lead; Wolfpack wins

Final Score: Nevada 64, VCU 61
Location: TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
Updated Records: Nevada 5-1, VCU 4-2.

 

In a nutshell: For VCU's Rams fans Friday's game looked a little too much like Thursday night's frustrating overtime loss. Once again, after leading at halftime, a double digit second half lead melted away. Moreover, the Rams actually led for almost 28 minutes of the contest. 

The Rams forced 10 first-half turnovers on the way to a 34-23 halftime lead. At the 17:52 mark VCU was ahead of Nevada by 15 points, 42-to-27. 

Later, after VCU's Zeb Jackson and Max Shulga had combined for 35 points, with five seconds remaining in the game, Nevada’s Kobe Sanders sank a trey to break a 61-point tie. That shot provided the winning margin. 

By the way, in both games in Charleston, veteran guard Joe Bamisile has been out of control too much of his time on the floor. That's a problem that very much needs to be fixed, pronto. 

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

·      Jackson paced VCU's scoring with 18 points; he added seven rebounds and four assists. Shulga chipped in 17 points, five rebounds and four steals. Bamisile added 12 points and five rebounds. Jack Clark kicked in five points, seven rebounds and four assists.

·      Nick Davidson sparked Nevada with 15 points and four assists. 

·      A steal by Jackson led to a Bamisile fast break dunk that gave VCU a 59-58 lead with 2:01 remaining. Following a defensive stop, Shulga drilled a long, step-back jumper to push the Rams in front 61-58 with 1:21 left. But Nevada’s Tre Coleman buried a corner from the right wing on the Wolfpack’s penultimate possession to tie the game at 61-61. Following a missed VCU 3-pointer, Davidson drove the lane and kicked it to Sanders in the left corner for a high-arching triple with five seconds left. A desperation VCU 3-pointer at the final buzzer fell wide.

·      Nevada made 26 trips to the free throw line and knocked down 15. VCU converted 11-of-14 attempts at the stripe.

·      Nevada held the Rams to 39 percent (20-of-51) shooting in the game, including 32 percent (10-of-31) from 3-point range.

·      Jackson hit a stepback 3-pointer from the right wing to provide the Rams with a 50-41 advantage with 10:46 on the clock. But the Wolfpack used seven points from Brandon Love to ignite a 16-2 run over the next five minute to grab a 54-50 lead with 5:47 left

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will take on Miami (Fla.) on Sunday. Tipoff at 12:30 p.m. in Charleston. That tilt will air on ESPN+.

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Seton Hall outlasts VCU in OT, 69-66

Final Score: Seton Hall 69, VCU 66 (OT)
Location: TD Arena in Charleston, S.C.
Updated Records: VCU 4-1, Seton Hall 3-2

In a nutshell: It was an intense struggle of conflicting styles the whole way. The offense-minded VCU Rams wanted to speed up the pace in an open court, while the defense-minded Seton Hall Pirates wanted to slow it down to a half court contest. 

Some observers might characterize the first 20-minute period as a "rock fight." At the half, VCU led by a 28-to-25 score. 

However, after being ahead by three-to-five points for nearly 29 minutes, as the clock wound down in regulation weary VCU began wilting and coughed up its lead. Then, in overtime, the panicking Rams just ran out of gas; they sank only 1-of-8 shooting from the field. 

Overall, the Pirates defense held the Rams' shooting from beyond the arc to 9-of-37 (24 percent). Perhaps the game's most telling statistic was that Seton Hall won the battle of the boards by a whopping 44-30 margin.

More Rams Stats: Max Shulga poured in 20 points. He added five boards and two steals. Coming off the bench, Zeb Jackson, who missed this season's first four games with a broken shooting hand (the left), scored 15 points, with three steals. Joe Bamisile contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists for VCU.

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

• Seton Hall's Chaunce Jenkins led all scorers with 22 points. He hit a go-ahead jumper with 2:21 remaining in overtime to give the Pirates a 65-63 lead. A free throw pulled VCU within 65-64. A short time later, Seton Hall’s David Tubek buried a 3-pointer from the left wing late in the shot clock to push the Pirates edge to 68-64 with 35 seconds remaining. 

• Shulga pulled VCU within 68-66 with a jumper with 13 seconds left, but the Rams could get no closer. A 3-point attempt on VCU’s final possession was wide. Then Shulga sent the game to overtime when he drove to the rim for a bucket to tie the score at 61-61 with two seconds showing in regulation. 

• The Rams led by as many as eight points in the second half and held a 57-53 lead with 3:55 remaining after Bamisile scored on a tip-in and hit a 3-pointer on consecutive VCU possessions. But Tubek drilled a three with 2:54 left. Shulga pushed VCU ahead 59-57 at the 1:03 mark, but Jenkins hit two free throws with 42 seconds showing, then scored on a layup on Seton Hall’s ensuing possession to give the Pirates a 61-59 lead

• The game featured nine ties and 14 lead changes.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP:

VCU will face Nevada on Fri., Nov. 22 at 7:30 p.m. at TD Arena. The game will stream live on ESPN+.

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Rams second half overwhelms Greyhounds

Final Score: VCU 83, Loyola (Maryland) 57.
Location: Siegel Center.
Updated Records: VCU 4-0, Loyola 2-2.

 

In a nutshell: A sellout crowd (7,637) witnessed two very different 20-minute periods of basketball. In the first half VCU sleepwalked its way to a 36-to-30 lead over Loyola. The Rams had actually trailed the Greyhounds for much of the half. 

In a word, it was a "lazy" effort. Lots of one-on-one offense and slow-reacting defense from an undefeated team that seemed overconfident playing against a 23-point underdog. 

The second stanza was a different story. The hustling home team's defense held the visitors to 29 percent (8-of-28) from the field. That, as Jack Clark, Joe Bamisile and Max Shulga became the first trio of Rams to score 20 or more points in a game in 14 years. 

Stats: Clark (a transfer from Clemson) with 25 points. He went on 9-of-11 shooting from the field, going 3-of-4 from 3-point distance; plus 6 boards. Bamisile with 22 pts., 5 boards, 3 steals. Shulga with an impressive complete game; 20 pts., 10 boards, 7 assists, 5 steals.

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

· Bamisile drew seven fouls, leading to nine attempts at the free throw line.

· The Rams limited the Greyhounds to just 33 percent shooting in the game. Loyola's offense was paced by Braeden Speed and Milos Ilic who each scored 10 points.

· Sparked by Shulga's steal and dunk, The Rams went on a 23-5 run in the second half that saw their lead extend to 64-38 with 7:32 remaining in the game.

· The Rams’ stout defense held the Greyhounds to only 22 points in the paint. They also forced 17 turnovers, leading directly to 21 points.

· The Black and Gold collected 12 offensive rebounds, leading to 17 second-chance points.

· The Rams’ 4-0 start is their best since the 2019-20 season, when they started 6-0.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: The Rams will head to Charleston, S.C. for the Shriners Children’s Hospital Charleston Classic Nov. 21-24.  VCU will open against Seton Hall on Thursday, Nov. 21 in a game to be seen on ESPN2. Tipoff at 5 p.m.

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VCU cruises in 21-point win over Merrimack

Final Score: VCU 63, Merrimack 42.
Location: Siegel Center in Richmond. 
Updated Records: VCU 3-0, Merrimack 1-1.

In a nutshell: During the first half VCU's relentless defense overwhelmed Merrimack; the Rams went into the locker room with a 38-to-17 lead over the Warriors. In the second half VCU 's grateful bench got a lot of minutes. 

To its credit, Merrimack never quit playing hard, but it simply couldn't match VCU's impressive athleticism. Once again, guards Joe Bamisile and Phillip Russell set the Rams' offensive pace; they combined for 38 points. That, while VCU's smothering, switching team defense held Merrimack to just 28 percent shooting from the field. 

So far, Bamisile has looked like a legit candidate to be named to somebody's All-American team. And, although smooth point guard Max Shulga hasn't been scoring at his familiar clip, he has been steady at the top of the key in the role of being the orchestra's conductor. 
  
Stats: Bamisile with 20 pts., 2 boards, 4 assists, 3 steals. Russell with 18 pts, 2 boards. Jennings with 5 points, 9 boards, 4 assists, 4 steals.

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

• Russell knocked down 3-of-5 from beyond the arc in an 18-point effort. He also connected on 5-of-6 free throws. 
• The Rams’ defense held Merrimack to 12-of-43 shooting, including 1-of-19 from 3-point range. 
• VCU also forced a season-high 22 turnovers. The game was close early, but Bamisile scored eight points to lead VCU on an 18-2 run to close the half. 
• VCU owned a 38-30 rebounding edge and outscored the Warriors 24-14 in the paint.
• The Rams led the contest for 37 minutes and their bench outscored the Warriors' bench 14-1.
• Merrimack’s Adam Clark led the Warriors 19 points. He was pretty much their only real threat. 
• VCU is off to its first 3-0 start since the 2019-20 season. The Rams have won those three tilts by an average of 21.7 points.

BOX SCORE 

NEXT UP:

VCU will host Loyola (Md.) on Sat., Nov. 16. Tipoff at 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center. The game will air on MASN and ESPN+.

VCU crushes Boston College

Final Score: VCU 80, Boston College 55
Location: Annapolis (Alumni Hall at the Naval Academy)
Updated Records: VCU 2-0, Boston College 1-1

 

In a nutshell: Phillip Russell and Joe Bamisile were pretty much unstoppable, as VCU buried Boston College Friday night. The Rams started the contest by showing much more energy and confidence than BC. After that telling spell the Eagles were never really in the game. 

The fastest player on the squad, Zeb Jackson, missed his second game, while nursing a hand injury. His replacement in the starting lineup was Russell, who stepped up to lead all scorers. With VCU's deep bench -- 11 men saw action -- the most obvious problem going forward for head coach Ryan Odom might be that only one ball is allowed in the game. 

Stats: Russell with 20 pts., 3 boards, 2 assists. Bamisile with 18 pts,. 9 boards, 3 assists. Fermin with 12 pts., 2 blocks. Clark with 10 pts., 7 boards. Shulga with 9 pts., 10 boards, 4 assists.

Perhaps we will eventually learn that VCU's first two opponents were not really much of a threat. The season is young. However, it's easy to see how the Rams were seen in the A-10's preseason poll as the league's strongest team. 

 

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

·      VCU smothered Boston College defensively, holding the Eagles to 29 percent (17-of-58) shooting. At times during the second half the Rams led by as many as 30 points.

·      The Rams had a 46-41 rebounding advantage and turned 17 Boston College turnovers into 24 points

·      Bamisile buried a pair of 3-pointers to spark a 15-2 first-half run that staked VCU to a 21-8 lead with 9:46 left in the period. The Eagles would trim the lead to five a short time later, but Russell scored five straight points during a 6-0 burst to keep BC at bay. The Eagles never got closer than nine points the rest of the night

·      So far in this season's 80 minutes of action, VCU has not trailed.

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP

VCU will return to the Siegel Center to host Merrimack on Wed., Nov. 13. Tipoff at 7 p.m. TV: MASN and ESPN+. 

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VCU too good for the Bellamine

Final score: VCU 84, Bellamine 65. 

Location: Siegel Center in Richmond

Records: VCU 1-0. Bellamine 0-1.

In a nutshell: VCU head coach Ryan Odom used 10 players to coast to an easy victory before a packed house (7,637). Long distance shooters connected on 15 of 29 attempts from 3-point distance.  

Stats: Max Shulga with 19 pts., 5 rebounds and 5 assists; Joe Bamisile with 18 pts, (which included a couple of crowd-pleasing monster dunks); Phillip Russell with 16 pts., 4 assists and 3 steals; Jack Clark with 11 pts., 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots; Michael Belle with 6 pts. and 10 boards.

Best thing? No one was seriously injured.

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

·      Shulga shot a perfect 6-for-6 from the field, including 4-for-4 from beyond the arc.

·      The Rams knocked shot 53 percent (29-of-55) overall from the field in the game

·      VCU redshirt sophomore Fats Billups III knocked down a contested three with four minutes remaining in the first half to give the Rams a 13-point lead at 38-25 with 4:05 left

·      Russell buried back-to-back 3-pointers early in the second half to push the Rams to a 51-40 advantage with 18:16 showing

·      Later, Bamisile keyed a 10-0 Black and Gold blitz with a pair of thunderous baseline dunks to extend the VCU margin to 70-51 with 10:13 left in the game. VCU led for 38:29 of the game.  

BOX SCORE

NEXT UP: The Rams will travel to Annapolis for the Veterans Classic. VCU will face Boston College on Fri., Nov. 8. Tipoff at 6 p.m. TV: CBS Sports Network. 

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