In the battle of the Rams at the 131st consecutive sellout in Stuart S. Siegel Center, it was Virginia Commonwealth University taking full control against Atlantic 10 opponents Rhode Island with a final score of 76-42. VCU avenged their Jan. 23 loss on the road to Rhode Island where they gave up 50 points in the second half alone. In this more recent game, they held Rhode Island to only 42 points for the entire contest. Following the Davidson Wildcats loss to the Dayton Flyers, a win would put the Black and Yellow in first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
VCU was finding easy baskets to the rim at will and the catalyst for this was forward Marcus Santos-Silva. The sophomore from Taunton, Massachusetts had a game-high 19 points and 12 rebounds to record his fifth double-double of the season. His post moves and footwork were extraordinary and he continues to improve as the season progresses.
The hometeam Rams continued to bring the defensive energy all game long. Their physical defense provided to them the ability to knock down shots and when teams play like, it wears on an opponent. Fatigue then starts to set in and the score begins to separate. This game proved this. VCU appeared to be in better shape, it had more discipline and the players performed more like a team.
One of the key examples of the comradery was when, midway through the second half, senior forward Michael Gilmore hacked a Rhode Island player across the arm for the foul. After it happened, it was apparent that teammates Marcus Evans and De’Riante Jenkins (both juniors) were advising him to play with his arms straight up in the air. That there are upper-classmen willing to take constructive criticism from younger teammates — or even concede that he should take a seat on the bench while a youngster goes in — makes for a special squad.
Two minutes into the start of the second half, Evans picked up his third foul and had to come out. Freshman guard P.J. Byrd went in, gave VCU great minutes and played a strong part in the Rams being able to hold the lead.
“Point guard is probably the toughest position especially being a freshman coming in and asked to keep the same intensity up as the starting group,” Evans explained about how pivotal it is to have a legitimate backup like Byrd. “As the season’s gone on, he’s been doing really great getting the ball moving and picking up on defense. And as he continues to grow, this team gets better and better.”
The ball movement was phenomenal during the contest and VCU seemed able to score at will. With 23 assists and only seven turnovers on the night, the Rams are getting hot at the right time, putting the rest of the A-10 on notice that this ballclub is ready for a championship run.
With the victory, VCU moves to 20-6 on the season and 11-2 in the Atlantic 10 conference. Next up the Rams will take on a struggling George Washington team that is 7-18 on the year. VCU defeated the Colonials on the road in their last matchup, 60-50.