Bamisile's hot shooting hand burns Billikens

Final Score: VCU 78, Saint Louis 62.
Location: Siegel Center.
Updated Records: VCU 13-4, 3-1 in A-10. Saint Louis 10-7, 3-1 in A-10. 

In a nutshell: There isn't all that much Rams opponents can do when Joe Bamisile is in the midst of one of his hot streaks. For instance: on his way to a 17-point first half performance, the Billikens chased him around the floor trying to guard him. Petty much, all they got for their effort was an up close view of his spectacular athleticism with dunks and 3-pointers. Not to mention his nifty lefthanded moves in the paint. Bamisile, who led all scorers, finished with 23 points, sinking 8-of-17 from the field.

More Rams stats: Jack Clark scored 12 points, making good on 5-for-9 of his shots. Max Shulga dished for nine assists on top of the 11 points he scored. Brandon Jennings hit a pair of 3-pointers on his way to scoring 10 points. Jennings also grabbed a team-high six rebounds. A sellout crowd (7,637) watched the Rams win the battle of the boards, 38-to-26.

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

   

· VCU outrebounded Saint Louis 22-4 on the offensive glass. The Rams outscored the Billikens 19-7 in second-chance opportunities.

· The Black and Gold also forced the Billikens into a season-high 19 turnovers and scored 27 points off those miscues.

· VCU held Saint Louis to 32 percent (6-of-19) shooting and a season-low 20 in the second half. The Billikens misfired on eight of nine second-half 3-point attempts.

· The Rams held guard Gibson Jimerson, the Atlantic 10 Conference’s leading scorer, to 11 points on 2-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Jimerson is also the A-10’s all-time leader 3-pointers.

· The Black and Gold outscored the Billikens 38-16 in the paint. 

· VCU went on a 10-0 run from over a three-minute stretch midway through the second half that consisted of two Jennings made 3-pointers and a Bamisile breakaway dunk to expand its lead to 66-51.

· The Rams forced Saint Louis guard Isaiah Swope into a season-high eight turnovers Swope came into the contest only averaging 2.5 turnovers per game.

· The Rams owned a 26-2 advantage in bench scoring, with guard Michael Belle contributing with six points and forward Christian Fermin notching eight.

· The Rams led for 38:18 of the contest.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will face Saint Joseph’s on Fri., Jan. 17, in Philadelphia. Tipoff at 7 p.m. TV: ESPNU.

-- 30 --

Second half burst boosts VCU past Fordham

Final Score: VCU 73, Fordham 61.
Location: Siegel Center.
Updated Records: VCU 12-4, 2-1 in A-10. Fordham 8-8, 0-3 in A-10.

In a nutshell: Following the halftime break VCU went on an 8-to-0 run that established a nine-point working margin. That run boosted the homestanding Rams to what ended up being a 49-point avalanche in the second half. That scoring outburst followed what had been a lackluster first half performance that had led to a mere one-point advantage (24-to-23) for the homestanding Rams. 

Missing from this victorious scenario at the Siegel Center were spectators. Due to what was an ongoing running water shutdown ordeal in the City of Richmond, this Atlantic 10 Conference game was played without a crowd of witnesses in the stands. 

Rams key stats: Joe Bamisile scored 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Bamisile also grabbed six offensive rebounds. Max Shulga scored 16 points, snatched six boards and dished for four assists. 

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

· VCU recorded a season-high 23 offensive rebounds, leading to 25 second-chance points, compared to Fordham’s 13. The Black and Gold outrebounded Fordham 49-33 overall in the contest. 
· VCU started the second half on an 8-0 over the first 1:43, bookended by buckets from graduate forward Jack Clark, to extend its lead to 32-23 out of the break.
· Redshirt sophomore guard Fats Billups’ short turnaround jumper in the lane with 7:04 remaining in the second half pushed VCU to a 16-point lead, its largest of the night.
· Freshman forward Luke Bamgboye notched three blocks Wednesday. His 35 blocks this season are the most by a VCU freshman since Mo Alie-Cox registered 48 during the 2013-14 season. Bamgboye added eight points and seven rebounds.

· Fordham was led by guard Japhet Medor, who scored 19 points.
· VCU improved to 15-1 all-time against Fordham. 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will hosts Saint Louis on Tues., Jan. 14 at the Siegel Center. Tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. It will stream on MASN, CBS6 and ESPN+.

-- 30 --

VCU clobbers Loyola Chicago

Final Score: VCU 84, Loyola Chicago 65.
Location: Chicago, Ill. 
Updated Records: VCU 11-4, 1-1 in A-10. Loyola Chicago 9-5, 0-1 in A-10.

 

In a nutshell: Three particular deciding factors imposed defeat on the Ramblers: Phil Russell's hot hand; the Rams' tenacious, smothering defense in the second half; VCU won the second stanza's battle of the boards in the by a 29-to-12 margin.

VCU stats: Phil Russell scored a game-high 25 points. He made good on 7 of his 11 attempts from the field, which included a key 5-for-8 from 3-point distance. Russell also snatched six rebounds and made two steals. Christian Fermin scored his season-high 14 points and grabbed four rebounds. Zeb Jackson contributed 11 points, including three critical second-half treys. Jack Clark chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds.

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

· Des Watson led the Ramblers with 20 points.

· VCU trailed 40-37 at the half, but held Loyola to 22 percent (6-of-27) shooting in the second half. The Ramblers were 3-of-14 from 3-point range after the break. 

· The Rams used 18 offensive rebounds to rack up a 30-5 advantage in second-chance points.

· VCU outrebounded Loyola 40-28, overall.

· VCU shot 49 percent (30-of-61) from the field in the game, including 38 percent (9-of-24) from beyond the arc.

· The Rams trailed by as many as five points, at 51-46, with 12:05 left. But Clark converted back-to-back buckets to give the Black and Gold a 54-52 advantage with 9:22 remaining. Jackson buried back-to-back 3-pointers a short time later to extend VCU’s edge to 60-54 at the 7:36 mark.

· VCU dropped the hammer with a 16-0 blitz – including nine points from Russell – to put the game out of reach at 78-59 with 2:05 showing.

· The Rams are 3-0 all-time against Loyola Chicago, including 2-0 at Gentile Arena.

· VCU outscored the Ramblers 40-22 in the paint.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: On Wed., Jan. 8, VCU will return to the Siegel Center to host Fordham. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. TV on MASN and ESPN+.

-- 30 --

Bonnies edge Rams, 77-to-75

Final Score: St. Bonaventure 77, VCU 75.
Location: St. Bonaventure.
Updated Records: St. Bonaventure 13-1 (1-0 in A-10). VCU 10-4 (0-1 in A-10).

 

In a nutshell: At the 17.7-second mark on the clock, VCU's Phillip Russell sank a nifty eight-foot floater to tie the game at 75 apiece. In spite of Russell's season-high 26 points, St. Bonaventure's Melvin Council's driving runner dropped through the rim with 3.3 seconds left in the contest, to provide the winning margin for the Bonnies. It was the 16th and final lead-change in a back and forth tilt that had 10 tie scores.

VCU stats: Russell connected on 10-of-16 shots from the field, including 6-of-12 from 3-point distance. Joe Bamisile contributed 13 points and eight boards. Max Shulga scored 11 points, grabbed four rebounds and dished for four assists.

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

· Christian Fermin and Zeb Jackson both added six points coming off the bench for the Rams.

· Noel Brown and Council sparked St. Bonaventure' offense with 20 points each.

· Following a timeout, Council drove to the right side of the lane and scooped a ball around two defenders for a bucket and the lead. The Rams were unable to connect on a long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

· The Bonnies shot 50 percent (29-of-58) from the field in the game and outscored the Rams 48-32 in the paint.

· St. Bonaventure was able to turn 11 VCU turnovers into 11 points, and the Bonnies used 11 offensive rebounds to cash in 15 second-chance points.

· Bona led 70-67, but Russell tied the game at the 3:20 mark with his sixth 3-pointer of the day. Lajae Jones briefly gave the Bonnies a 72-70 advantage with a tip-in, but Bamisile buried a 3-pointer with 1:50 showing to push the Rams in front 73-72. Bona regained the lead on the ensuing possession, when Council rebounded his own miss for a layup.

· VCU outrebounded St. Bonaventure 33-30 and scooped up 11 offensive rebounds of its own.

· The Rams shot 48 percent (28-of-58) from the field in the contest, including 11-of-31 (36 percent) from beyond the arc.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: On Sat., Jan. 4, VCU will travel to the Windy City for its second A-10 conference game of the season to face Loyola Chicago. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. (EST). The national telecast will be carried by the CBS Sports Network.


-- 30 --

Giving Peace a Chance

Here's my piece about a true story set in Nashville in 1987. It was published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch on Jan. 7, 2017, under the title, “Shredding magazines, dying comets, and John Lennon.” My title for it was “Giving Peace a Chance,” but for some reason they didn't use it. For those who can't see the piece at the RT-D (link above), the text is below. 

With the Good Humor Band's sold out "farewell show" at the Canal Club on the horizon, this seems like a fitting time to revisit this story. 

*

With the recent passing of the 44th anniversary of his death, I couldn’t help but wonder what the founder of The Beatles — John Lennon, a master of word-play and sarcasm — would have to say about today’s music, art and politics. It would be anybody’s guess. After all, in his nearly 20 years as a public figure Lennon’s knack for changing before our eyes was dazzling. There’s no reason to think such a restless soul wouldn’t have kept on changing ... and commenting.

In February 1964, The Beatles made their initial appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show. Those two Sunday nights were less than three months after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Surely, the somber mood of the nation, still trying to regain its balance, had something to do with why those fresh-sounding Beatles tunes cut through the fog of melancholia with such verve. Notably, there’s been no explosion in American pop music since then equivalent to the impact of Liverpool’s Fab Four.

Then, on Dec. 8, 1980, the murder of moody John Lennon had an impact on the public few would have predicted. It was as though a world leader, or a family member, had been gunned down on the street in Manhattan.

Lennon’s obvious contributions as a songwriter and musician were huge. Yet, it was his sense of humor and delight in taking risks that really set him apart from many of his celebrity counterparts, some of whom toyed with politics and social causes as if they were hairdos or dance crazes.

With the Vietnam War still underway in the early ’70s, President Richard M. Nixon looked at Lennon and saw in him a charismatic working-class hero with the power to galvanize a generation’s anti-establishment sentiments. Fearing such potential, the Nixon administration did everything it could to hound Lennon out of the USA.

The details of that nasty little campaign are just as bewildering as some of the better known abuses that flowed from the Dirty Tricks Department in the White House during those scandal-ridden days.

With so many years of perspective on Lennon’s death, it seems to me now that even if that particular gunman (a person I choose not to name because I refuse to add in any way to his celebrity) hadn’t pulled the trigger, it could easily have been another one. Like the comets of each generation are bound to do, sometimes Lennon burned too bright for his own good.

Accordingly, with assassinations in mind, I’m reminded of a news item that ran in the Nashville Banner on Feb. 24, 1987.

The article’s lede was this: “Two Nashville musicians remained free on $500 bond today after they went on a magazine-shredding tear ... to protest People magazine’s current cover story.”

The two musicians were Mike McAdam and Gregg Wetzel. As members of the Good Humor Band they were fixtures in Richmond’s rock ’n’ roll scene in the late ’70s and early ’80s.

By the time of the attacks on the magazines, the pair had moved on and established themselves as respected sidemen in Nashville — McAdam on guitar and Wetzel on piano.

In a nutshell, Mike and Gregg became incensed at seeing the magazine with a cover story about John Lennon’s murderer. They felt spotlighting the killer in that way might encourage another deranged wannabe to take gun in hand to hunt down another comet.

So the boys fortified themselves with an adequate dose of what-it-takes — legend has it they were drinking out of an Elvis decanter — and set out on a mission to destroy the cover of every copy of the offensive publication that they could find on the strip.

Naturally, this sort of endeavor is best undertaken in the wee hours. In the course of their fifth stop, at a Nashville convenience store, the avenging angels were apprehended by the cops and charged with “malicious mischief.”

Shortly afterward, in a interview about the incident, McAdam said, “If another guy like (name withheld again) sees that, he might think he can get on the cover of People magazine by killing a politician or artist.”

Bravo!

Primary among the reasons John Lennon was selected and stalked by his murderer was that Lennon did indeed have a rare ability to move people. In that sense, he was slain for somewhat the same reason as political figures such as Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy. Two thousand years ago, wasn’t Jesus Christ taken out of the game for much the same reason?

It’s always been dangerous to challenge the established order. To risk changing. To give peace a chance. Indeed, we may be entering an era in which questioning the wisdom of the powers that be will become increasingly more dangerous.

Wouldn’t it be fun to hear what Lennon would have to say today about our rather mock-worthy president-elect?

Although Nixon miscalculated Lennon’s intentions, the soon-to-be-disgraced president was probably right about his potential to focus the anti-establishment sentiments in the air. What Nixon didn’t grasp was that mischief streak aside, Lennon was generally more interested in promoting peace than fomenting revolution.

To flesh out the 36-year-old magazine-cover-shredding yarn, Wetzel recently added, “The cops looked at me and McAdam, decided we weren’t exactly flight risks and entrusted our transport to the pokey with an attractive female officer, all by her lonesome. On the way to the hoosegow, Mickey hit on the cop. True story.”

Peace. 

-- 30 --

Note: The picture of Lennon (a 1975 album cover) in a doorway was borrowed from the Internet.

VCU outruns Wm. & Mary, 90-to-70

Final Score: VCU 90, William & Mary 70.
Location: Siegel Center.
Updated Records: VCU 10-3, William & Mary 5-7.

In a nutshell: In spite of how much of a mismatch it was expected to be (VCU was an 18.5-point favorite), there were a couple of fairly decent reasons to attend this game. In a ceremony conducted just prior to tipoff, VCU retired the No. 2 jersey of former defensive standout Briante Weber -- a fan favorite at VCU from 2011-15. Weber was a excellent thief; he made a whopping 374 steals in his career, which remains the VCU record. It also still stands as fourth in NCAA history. No Rams player was a more essential cog in the legendary "Havoc" scheme of defense then-head coach Shaka Smart famously used in that era. 

Another pretty good reason for VCU fans to fill The Stu to its seating capacity was that it was the renewal of an old rivalry with William & Mary. This was the first matchup between the Rams and the Tribe since VCU left the Colonial Athletic Association in 2012 to become a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. 

No doubt, longtime Rams fans in attendance enjoyed the 20-point victory in a fast paced, one-sided contest in which VCU led for nearly thirty-four of its forty minutes. It appeared Sunday afternoon's visitors thought they could run with the Rams. 

Well, as it happened, the visitors were wrong. Rivalry-wise, VCU now leads in the all-time series, 39-12.

Stats: Joe Bamisile scored 20 points. He made good on 9-for-15 from the floor. Jack Clark registered his first double-double of the season. He scored 11 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and dished for five assists. Other Rams who scored in double figures were Zeb Jackson (14), Max Shulga (13) and Michael Belle (10).

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

● Freshman forward Luke Bamgboye, making his second career start, provided a season-high nine points, five rebounds and four blocked shots for the Rams.

● Gabe Doresy led William & Mary with 16 points.

● VCU put together a 10-2 run, capped by a Bamisile 3-pointer, as well as a 7-2 burst a short time later, to build a 68-48 lead with 11:29 left in the game.

● The Rams trailed 35-34 with 3:49 left in the first half, but used an 8-2 spurt, including a pair of Bamisile buckets, to take a 42-37 lead into the break.

● VCU committed a season-low seven turnovers and handed out a season-high 25 assists.

● VCU outscored William & Mary 58-28 in the paint and 21-3 off fast breaks.

● The Black and Gold scored 21 points off of 19 William & Mary turnovers. VCU’s 25 assists are its most since Nov. 13, 2017, when it dished out 26 against North Florida.

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will begin kick its A-10 Conference play when it visits St. Bonaventure on Tues., Dec. 31. Tipoff at 2 p.m. That contest will air on ESPN+

-- 30 --

Dent drops 40 points on Rams as Lobos prevail

Final Score: New Mexico 78, VCU 71.
Location: The Pit in Albuquerque.
Updated Records: VCU 9-3, New Mexico 9-3.

In a nutshell: Too much Donovan Dent. Period.

It has been over 20 years since an opposing player scored 40 or more points on the Rams. The Lobos' superstar guard made good on 14-of-26 shots, while shooting from an array of locations with a variety of shots. Dent was simply unstoppable. 

VCU's shambling semblance of a defense watched it happen. More than enough said.

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

·      Max Shulga was held scoreless in the first half. Then, after the break, he connected on 6-of-9 attempts from the floor, including 3-of-6 from the 3-point line, on the way to a team-high 20 points. He added two steals.

·      Graduate guards Phillip Russell (13 points), Joe Bamisile (12) and Zeb Jackson (10) all reached double figures for the Black and Gold.

·      Sophomore forward Michael Belle also kicked in six points and five rebounds for the Rams.

·      New Mexico pieced together an extended 20-6 run, punctuated by eight straight points from Dent, to take its largest lead of the game at 51-36 with 15:43 remaining.

·      Back-to-back threes by Jackson kicked off a 16-5 VCU run over the next four minutes to cut the Lobo lead to 56-52 with 11:54 on the clock. But Dent came to New Mexico’s rescue again, scoring seven points during a 9-3 burst that extended the margin to 73-61 with 4:49 left.

·      The Lobos outrebounded VCU 47-33, including 16-7 on the offensive glass. New Mexico owned a 16-8 advantage in second-chance points.

·      New Mexico outscored the Rams 44-26 in the paint.

·      VCU converted just 13-of-24 free throws and shot 5-of-20 from 3-point range in the second half. 

BOXSCORE

 

NEXT UP: VCU will face William & Mary on Sun., Dec. 22 at home. Tipoff at 2 p. m. TV on MASN and ESPN+. A pregame ceremony to retire the No. 2 jersey of Rams star Briante Weber will take place.

-- 30 --

VCU pulls away late from Colorado St., 76-to-68

Final Score: VCU 76, Colorado State 68.
Location: Henderson, Nev.
Updated Records: VCU 9-2, Colorado State 5-5.

 

In a nutshell: Couldn't see the game (it was televised on BallerTV) , but from what I heard on the radio it was good to gather that VCU finished the game off well. It had been a close contest most of the way.

Stats: Joe Bamisile scored a game-high 25 points. Max Shulga scored 20 points. (See the boxscore for more.)

 

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

·      Bamisile connected on 8-of-16 attempts from the floor, including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, on the way to his fifth 20-point effort of the year. He also corralled nine rebounds, including five offensive boards.

·      Shulga recorded 20 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals for the Black and Gold. He finished 7-of-13 from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

·      Redshirt sophomore guard Fats Billups III provided a boost off the bench for VCU with eight points, including a pair of 3-pointers, while graduate forward Jack Clark added six points and six rebounds.

·      Nique Clifford led Colorado State with 12 points and 10 rebounds. 

·      CSU took a 61-60 lead on a Keshawn Williams bucket with 6:53 on the clock, but Bamisile converted at the rim on a VCU possession that included two offensive rebounds, for a 62-61 edge at the 6:15 mark. VCU would not trail again, and Bamisile hit a pair of 3-pointers in the waning moments to help extend the Black and Gold lead to 73-63 with 1:41 remaining.

·      Shulga and Clark hit back-to-back 3-pointers to spearhead an 8-2 VCU burst to open the second half, which extended the Black and Gold’s one-point halftime lead to a 41-34 margin.

·      Colorado State used a 10-0 run to take a 48-45 lead with 12:36 left, but Billups buried a three from the left corner and Shulga drove for a score to give VCU a 50-48 advantage with 11:54 left.

·      VCU committed a season-low nine turnovers in the game and outrebounded CSU 32-30.

·      The Black and Gold knocked down 11-of-30 (37 percent) 3-pointers and turned Colorado State over 15 times. 

·      Saturday’s game featured nine ties and nine lead changes.

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: On Wed., Dec. 18, VCU will travel to Albuquerque to face always tough New Mexico in their infamous gym, The Pit. Tipoff at 9 p.m. (EST). 

-- 30 --

VCU coasts to victory over Penn

Final Score: VCU 66, Penn 47.

Location: Siegel Center.

Updated Records: VCU 8-2, Penn 3-7.

 

In a nutshell: Coasted? Yes, the Rams led for 38:10 of the 40-mnute contest. 

It was the third straight easy win at home for Ryan Odom's VCU squad, but the coasting path ends on the road next week (see Next Up below). Easy wins allow a coach to determine individual roles and build the team's confidence. However, the downside of padding the schedule that way can foster the sort of confidence that can turn out to be fool's gold. 

So far, it looks like the Rams can probably score enough points against most opponents. Whether VCU can stop a tough team's offense at the crucial point of a game is quite another matter. Next week we may learn more about that. 

Stats: Joe Bamisile grabbed 11 rebounds to go along with his 23 points and 2 blocks. Max Shulga scored 14 points, pulled down 7 rebounds and made 2 steals. Jack Clark chipped in a 6-point, 10-boards effort.

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

·      The Rams held Penn to 36 percent (18-of-50) shooting from the floor and 19 percent (5-of-27) shooting from beyond the arc. It’s the fourth time this season the Rams have held an opponent to under 20 percent shooting from 3-point range.

·      VCU outrebounded the Quakers 45-29, good for their second-highest rebounding margin of the season. The Rams corralled 18 offensive boards and outscored the Quakers 20-3 on second-chance points.

·      The Black and Gold started the game with a 14-2 run that lasted 5:40 and was capped by a Bamisile step-back 3-pointer that forced the Quakers into an early timeout.

·      Back-to-back possessions that ended in dunks from freshman forward Luke Bamgboye and Bamisile grew the Rams’ lead to 17 with 10:52 remaining in the game.

·      Penn rallied to tie game at 23-23 with 5:28 left in the first, but VCU closed the period on a 13-2 run, punctuated by five straight Russell points, to take a 36-25 lead into the locker room at the break. 

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: The Rams travel westward to face Colorado State in Las Vegas, Nev., at the Lee’s Family Forum on Sat., Dec. 14. Tipoff at 7:30 p.m. The game will be streamed live on BallerTV.

-- 30 --

 

VCU crushes Georgia Southern, 89-to-54

Final Score: VCU 89, Georgia Southern 54.
Location: Siegel Center.
Updated Records: VCU 7-2, Georgia Southern 5-4.

In the nutshell: For the initial few minutes of the game, VCU trailed and it looked like Georgia Southern might make a game of it. Well, it didn't last long. Once the homestanding Rams snapped out of it, their offense was pretty much unstoppable in what became a 35-point romp. For the second straight tilt VCU Head Coach Ryan Odom gave his bench plenty of time on the floor.  

Rams stats: Max Shulga aggressively erupted for 29 points to lead all scorers. He made good on 7-of-10 attempts from the field. Fiery Phillip Russell contributed 17 points, which included a flawless 8-of-8 from the charity stripe. Coming off the bench Fats Billups scored a crowd-pleasing 14 points and grabbed 6 boards.

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

 

·      Shulga sank 6-of-8 from beyond the 3-point arc on the way to the 12^th 20-point game of his collegiate career.

·      Redshirt sophomore guard Fats Billups III knocked down 4-of-5 attempts from long range.

·      Freshman forward Luke Bamgboye had his most productive outing as a Ram, totaling a season-high five blocks, as well as four points and four rebounds. Bamgboye is averaging 7.6 blocks per 40 minutes this season.

·      Georgia Southern was led by Eugene Brown III, who totaled 13 points for the visiting Eagles.

·      The Rams outscored the Eagles 50-23 in the second half behind a defensive effort that saw VCU hold the Eagles to 20 percent (6-of-30) shooting in the period.

·      VCU held Georgia Southern to just 30 percent (18-of-60) shooting from the field overall Wednesday, including 6-of-21 from the 3-point line.

·       In the opening 8:22 of the game, Shulga knocked down 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, scoring nine of the Rams’ first 11 points.    

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will host Penn on Monday, Dec. 7. Tipoff at 7 p.m. The game will air on MASN and ESPN+.

VCU 103, Elizabeth City St. 58

Final Score: VCU 103, Elizabeth City State 58.
Location: Siegel Center.
Updated Records: VCU 6-2, ECSU 4-3.

 

In the nutshell: A sellout crowd (7,637) looked on as Joey Rodriguez's No. 12 jersey was retired in a ceremony just prior to tipoff. Among his noteworthy stats, Rodriguez ranks third all-time in VCU basketball history in assists and steals.

The game that followed was sort of hard to watch, at times, as the  visiting team was just so outmanned. At least the Rams' bench personnel got to play a lot. And, that's the best thing I can say about what was such a mismatch. 

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

·      Rodriguez, who starred at VCU from 2007-11 and led the team to the 2011 Final Four, saw his No. 12 jersey retired in a pregame ceremony. Rodriguez scored more than 1,300 points as a Ram. 

·      Graduate guard Phillip Russell led all scorers with 18 points for the Rams. He connected on 4-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc in just 18 minutes of play.

·      Freshman guard Terrence Hill Jr. supplied a season-high 16 points – all in the second half - for the Black and Gold.

·      The Rams also received 14 points and three assists from graduate guard Zeb Jackson

·      Reggie Raynor led ECSU with 11 points.

·      VCU held the Vikings to just 31 percent (19-of-61) shooting in the game, including 3-of-15 from 3-point range.

·      The Rams shot 55 percent (16-of-29) in the first half on the way to a 49-26 lead.

·      VCU outscored ECSU 40-14 in the paint and 20-10 off turnovers.

·      The Rams forced 17 turnovers and outrebounded the Vikings 51-34.

·      VCU Head Coach Ryan Odom picked up his 200^th career win Friday. He is 200-122 in 10 seasons as a head coach, including 30-16 with the Rams.

·      The Rams’ bench scored 51 points Friday.

 

BOXSCORE

NEXT UP: VCU will host Georgia Southern on Wed., Dec. 4. Tipoff will be at 7 p.m. TV: MASN and ESPN+.

-- 30 --

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+. 

-- 30 --

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+.

-- 30 --

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+.

-- 30 --

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.

-- 30 -- 

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+.