Rams defang Dragons

In the course of five minute stretch early in the second half, point guard Eric Maynor drove for four layups. In that time the VCU Rams stretched their lead over the Drexel Dragons from two points to 12. Until then the score had stayed close. It never was again. Before a crowd of 7,506 (a sellout) […]

January 26, 2008; 10:56 PM • by FTRea

In the course of five minute stretch early in the second half, point guard Eric Maynor drove for four layups. In that time the VCU Rams stretched their lead over the Drexel Dragons from two points to 12. Until then the score had stayed close. It never was again.

Before a crowd of 7,506 (a sellout) at the Siegel Center VCU went on to defeat Drexel by a score of 76 to 64.

Maynor finished with 20 points and five assists. Jamal Shuler, the other half of the Rams dynamic duo — there is no better pair of guards in the CAA — scored 17 points and hauled in eight boards.

In the first half Drexel led most of the way, although VCU took a one-point advantage, 27 to 26, into the locker room. What had been a slow and methodical pace favored the Dragons. It gave the Rams few transition opportunities. After the intermission VCU turned up the pressure on defense and ran Drexel off the floor.

Bruiser Flint, in his seventh season as head coach at Drexel, is always an entertaining guy to watch. Not one to disappoint a full house, he got so exasperated watching Maynor shred his defense he pounded on the scorer’s table with his fist, which promptly earned him a technical foul.

Before the episode was over Flint ended up down at the Rams end of the floor, laughing first with Shuler, then with VCU head coach Anthony Grant.

“Tonight I was proud of our guys,” said Grant, “the way we played the second half. Good players respond to challenges. After the first half, [Maynor and Shuler] knew they needed to step up.”

Next up for VCU (15-4, 8-1 in CAA) is a showdown that pits the Rams against the team named by the media preseason poll to finish No. 1 in the league, George Mason (14-6, 6-3 in CAA), in its gym. The 7 p.m. tilt will be shown on ESPN2.

January 26, 2008 10:56 PM 0