When the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams hosted the Colonials of George Washington, they were in first place in the Atlantic 10 division. And having won their last seven games, the Rams are certainly getting hot at the right time of the year.
The last time VCU and George Washington met, the Black and Yellow pulled out a gutsy 60-50 win on the road. That meant the Colonials were going to come out hungry and motivated (to avenge that loss) so the Rams had to be extremely focused.
GW came out aggressively, hitting its first three three-pointers and taking an early 11-7 lead. This forced Rams Head Coach Mike Rhoades to call a timeout. After it, VCU went on a 10-2 run, controlling that stretch with defense. The catalyst for the quick turnaround was redshirt sophomore Corey Douglas (forward) who finished the game with six points, seven rebounds and three blocks.
“He’s an elite rim protector,” Rhoades said about Douglas after the game. “[It] doesn’t mean he’s blocking shots all the time, but you can’t get to the rim when he’s out there and he does his job at such a high level.”
Both teams traded baskets at a high level during the first half.
GW redshirt junior D.J. Williams (guard) put on a show in the first half with 18 points on 8-11 shooting for the Colonials. The rest of his team fed off that energy and shot 52 percent from the field and 75 percent from three-point range.
The Rams were also in a nice flow offensively in the first half with junior De’Riante Jenkins (guard) coming out aggressively with 11 points. Teammate and fellow guard Marcus Evans caught fire, hitting multiple threes and leading the home team with 15 points midway through the competition. The Rams shot 55 percent from the field and 67 percent from three and had a 43-40 lead at the half.
Coach Rhoades didn’t have to say anything to the team at halftime about their defense… they knew they were missing assignments and not playing up to their usual standards. The players took it upon themselves to get mentally prepared for a shutdown performance in the second half and they did not disappoint.
The Rams came out aggressively on both sides of the floor after the break and the defensive tenacity fans are used to seeing was on full display. The result was that the Colonials were unable to score on 15 consecutive possessions and started off the half 0-12 from the field. The home team went on an 18-0 run and, in no time, VCU had a 20-point lead and Ram Nation was electrifying the Stuart C. Siegel Center.
The Colonials finally scored their first bucket with 9:11 remaining in the game and it was greeted with a sarcastic cheer from the VCU faithful. The Rams held GW to 5-25 shooting in the second half and only 17 points, rolling with Evans scoring a season-high 25 points on the game.
The Black and Yellow defeated George Washington 85-57 and completed the season sweep, 2-0.
VCU forward Marcus Santos-Silva logged 14 points and seven rebounds. Coming off his fifth double-double of the season, the sophomore is playing at a high level and continues to improve game-by-game.
“I go into every game focused on rebounding and defending and just let the other stuff come to me,” he explained when asked about his momentum.
Santos-Silva is a perfect example of the opportunities that become available to a player when he/she takes care of their responsibilities on the court. The 6’7” forward will be a crucial piece to VCU making a run not only in the Atlantic 10 tournament but possibly the NCAA tournament.
The Rams improved their record to 21-6 overall and 12-2 in the Atlantic 10 conference while the Colonials have now dropped to 7-19 on the season. VCU will host the Saint Louis Billikens (17-10) Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019.