Walking into the Barclays Center Friday morning, one could feel the energy radiating across the arena for the battle of the Rams, Round 2 between No. 1 seeded Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Rhode Island. In the first matchup, VCU defeated URI 76-42 down at the Siegel Center. But Rhode Island was a team with revenge on its mind this time and brought the level of energy required to hang with the champs. Virginia’s Ram Nation was alive and well in Brooklyn though and made its presence felt throughout the game. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Following a knee injury to VCU guard Marcus Evans that he suffered midway through the first half, the Rhode Island Rams defeated the VCU Rams, 75-70.
The game started off the way most games this season have for the Black and Yellow: slow offensively but with great defense.
This kept it close until the shots began to fall. VCU took a 26-18 lead and looked poised to run away with the game until Evans was fouled driving to the basket which resulted in the injury. From that point on, the energy in the building shifted over to Rhode Island. URI’s bench became more energetic which manifested on the wood with the players. The Blue and White cut the lead to three which meant those Rams were down just 37-34 at the half.
Both teams came out for the second half understanding the moment.
VCU knew that it would have to finish this game without its point guard and URI understood that it had the chance of a lifetime… to capitalize on a team that was stunned due to the injury.
Rhode Island was aggressive and efficient early in the second half and led by as many as eight points (70-62) halfway through. VCU’s defensive intensity was absent then and the team started to make fundamental mistakes that were unusual. The Rams from Virginia cut the lead to three and had a chance to take the lead but they couldn’t convert on three different occasions.
Down 70-67, VCU guards Mike’L Simms and De’Riante Jenkins had a two on one fast break. But they turned it over. Forward Isaac Vann got a steal off a bad pass and hit guard Malik Crowfield. Crowfield passed it back only for Vann to lose the ball out of bounds. The last possession was a foul on Crowfield that sent him to the free throw line for a one and a one but he missed the first shot. That’s a six-point swing in the span of three straight possessions that could have propelled the Black and Yellow to the lead.
In sports, if opportunities are not taken advantage of, those lost opportunities can come back to hurt a team when it matters most. Down 70-67 with under two minutes to go, Vann was playing lock-up defense on URI guard Jeff Dowtin who got off a double pump three just off his fingertips before the shot clock ran out. That shot felt like the dagger that put VCU to sleep.
The No. 1 seed fought back. Forward Marcus Santos-Silva had a monster game with 26 points and 22 rebounds. With 13.5 remaining in the game, VCU was down 73-70 with a chance to tie it up. Jenkins pump-faked and appeared to draw contact on a URI defender but no call was made. Following a Simms miss, Rhode Island got the rebound and two free throws that sealed the game for the underdog Rams, 75-70.
The high-point man for Rhode Island was Dowtin with 22 points and he brought that tenacious energy all game long.
VCU now awaits the Sunday night postseason selection. Before the game, college basketball analyst Joe Lunardi had the Rams projected as the eighth seed in the tournament.