Rams bust Broncos

VCU’s Joey Rodriguez (in white) scored 17 points “We’re a better basketball team than we were a week ago,” said VCU men’s basketball head coach Anthony Grant. On Thursday night, with a few spurts of dazzling offense, while applying a steady aggressive defense for most part, VCU defeated Western Michigan before 4,487 at the Siegel Center: […]

December 4, 2008; 10:34 PM • by FTRea

VCU’s Joey Rodriguez (in white) scored 17 points

“We’re a better basketball team than we were a week ago,” said VCU men’s basketball head coach Anthony Grant.

On Thursday night, with a few spurts of dazzling offense, while applying a steady aggressive defense for most part, VCU defeated Western Michigan before 4,487 at the Siegel Center: VCU 79, Western Mich 62.

Asked about how his team reacted to spells when it couldn’t score points, Grant said, “We didn’t panic.”

Senior guard Eric Maynor led all scorers with 29 points. In the first half he hit four treys with a deft touch that seemed almost too easy.

Junior forward Kirill Pishchalnikov had what may have been his best game as a Ram. He scored 15 points and pulled down 14 boards in 28 minutes on the floor.

The Rams shot 51 percent from the field, they were good on 18 of their 19 free throws. That, while the Broncos hit on 39 percent of their field goal attempts.

Grant used 11 players to get the job done. It wasn’t always pretty work. The roles for this young VCU team are still up in the air, for the most part. The team chemistry is forming, but it has a long way to go.

Western Michigan’s attack was paced by junior guard David Kool, who scored 22 points, mostly on jump shots.

VCU head coach Anthony Grant has a 56-18 record seven games into his third season at the Siegel Center

If Thursday night’s tilt was any indication of what the effect will be from moving the rowdy yellow-shirted students from their previous front-row, mid-court seats, to behind the baskets, it seems VCU has given up some atmosphere to satisfy other considerations.

The frenzy behind press row wasn’t there. With this game, for whatever reasons, VCU’s home court wanted for a little more chemistry, too.

Next up for VCU (4-3) is a trip to William & Mary (3-5) on Saturday, which will mark the first CAA action for both schools.

The last time these old rivals met, in the semi-finals of the most recent post-season conference tournament, The Tribe upset the heavily favored Rams. Tipoff is at 7 p.m.

– Words and photos by F.T. Rea

Update: Rams trounce Tribe, 66-50.