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On a chilly night in Richmond, Virginia, the Rams of Virginia Commonwealth University hosted longtime rival, the University of Richmond Spiders. VCU was coming off one of their best defensive performances of the season on the road against St. Bonaventure during which they held the Bona Wolf to 26 percent shooting from the field and only one three-pointer on the night. The Stuart S. Siegel Center was jam-packed for the 130th consecutive sellout and Ram Nation didn’t disappoint.
The Spiders came out with an underdog mentality and took the fight to the Black and Yellow. VCU struggled early to get the quality shots that would provide turnovers and had no answer for Spiders forward Grant Golden who came out and scored the Spiders’ first seven points. But once the Rams settled down offensively, everything started to flow resulting in more drives to the basket and cutting without the ball which garnered easy points.
The guard contributions off the bench — notably from freshman Vince Williams and junior Mike’L Simms — provided a much-needed lift for the team to create separation.
Williams brought an energy to which everyone in the arena could gravitate. In order to have a championship team, a ballclub needs that one player that impacts games in ways that aren’t necessarily evident on the stat sheet. He dives to the ground for loose balls, gets timely rebounds that create extra possessions and does whatever is necessary to win. An all-around player, the freshman finished with seven points, two blocks, two assists, two steals and two rebounds.
Simms hit timely baskets every time the Spiders looked like they were geared to make a run and the junior finished with 13 points.
Point guard Marcus Evans and forward Isaac Vann took over toward the end of the first half and in the second half, stopped the bleeding when the Spiders were on a comeback trail from their 41-25 halftime deficit. Both scored 16 points with efficient shooting and led the way to a big-time win. VCU coasted at the end of the second half and finished off its opposition with a final score of 81-60.
The Rams head coach (Mike Rhoades) was pleased with the way his team handled adversity. No matter how poorly the team was shooting, the players kept their defensive intensity throughout the contest. This team is looking impressive night-in and night-out and is making a strong case for a NCAA March Madness Tournament bid.
VCU, currently holding a record of 18-6, will travel to the University of Dayton and take on the 16-8 Flyers Saturday, Feb. 16.
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