VCU crushes the Towson Tigers

Coming off of 40 consecutive losses, Towson didn’t stand much of a chance against the Virginia Commonwealth University. It took help from some less frequent contributors, but VCU beat the Towson Tigers 67-42 on Wednesday night in Towson, MD.

January 26, 2012; 9:33 AM • by Aaron Williams

Coming off of 40 consecutive losses, Towson didn’t stand much of a chance against the Virginia Commonwealth University Rams. It took help from some less frequent contributors, but VCU beat the Towson Tigers 67-42 on Wednesday night in Towson, MD.

Behind the talents of Senior Robert Nwankwo, Towson put up 10 points much quicker than expected. The Rams then started forcing turnovers and VCU led 35-17 at the half.

In the second half, VCU let up on its “HAVOC” defense and went deeper into the bench. The Rams, unsurprisingly, dominated this game more than the blowout score shows. In the final minutes, fan favorite Reco McCarter (dunk tape) entered the game. A minute later, on a fast break he had the opportunity to slam one until he fumbled the ball and had to pull up.

The only bright spot for the Tigers has been Nwankwo. Scoring 16 points and grabbing 13 boards, he picked up his fourth double-double of the season.

Player of the Game

Darius Theus was the Rams’ biggest question mark before the start of the season. As his play improves, the Rams improve. Wednesday night, Theus dished out ten assists without turning the ball over. After shooting 14.3% from beyond the arc last season, Theus is 5-8 over the past four games.

If last season taught us a lesson, it was that VCU thrives with dynamic players. As Theus diversifies his game, the entire team becomes multi-dimensional and more successful.

Bonus Player of the Game

Entering the 2011-2012 season, Rob Brandenberg was picked by many as VCU’s breakout player of the year. His inconsistency and January shooting woes have created some doubters but Brandenberg was back in true form on Wednesday night.

Brandenberg scored 16 points and grabbed four steals in his best game of 2012. He scored in a variety of ways including from three point range and by getting to the rim. Hopefully Brandenberg can go back to being a consistent double digit scorer now that he has regained some confidence.

5 stats

• VCU has won 14 of its last 16 games.
• VCU is 17-1 against Towson all-time.
• The Rams shot 44.4% from the field, their highest percentage since January 2nd at Hofstra.
• The Rams three leading scorers (Burgess, Reddic and Daniels) scored 13.4 points below their season average.
• The Towson Tigers have more turnovers this season than made field-goals.

Looking forward

The Rams have two road games over the next week:

• Saturday January 28th. 4pm. Georgia State (14-6, 6-3). GSU Sports Arena.
• Wednesday February 1st. 7pm. William & Mary (4-17, 2-7). Kaplan Arena.

— ∮∮∮ —

Related

• Heath Houston Injured, Out For Season; VCU Ram Nation
• Instant recap: VCU vs. Towson
• What to expect: VCU vs. Towson

— ∮∮∮ —

To stay up to date on all things VCU Basketball related, follow @rvaRAMnews on twitter

January 26, 2012 9:33 AM 1