Hofstra fails to stop the red hot Rams

With first place in the Colonial Athletic Association on the line, the VCU Rams returned home on Thursday night January 27^th with hopes of continuing their 7 game winning streak and adding to their 20 game home winning streak.

January 28, 2011; 8:16 AM • by Aaron Williams

The Virginia Commonwealth University Rams are known for three things: fast paced games, pressure defense, and winning at home. In their most recent contest they did not disappoint.

With first place in the Colonial Athletic Association on the line, the VCU Rams returned home on Thursday night January 27^th with hopes of continuing their 7 game winning streak and adding to their 20 game home winning streak.

The Hofstra Pride, led by the nations 3rd highest scorer and NBA prospect Charles Jenkins, entered the game tied with the Rams at 8-1 in the CAA. 7,208 fans attended the game and even more tuned into the nationally televised event elsewhere. It was certainly one the largest crowds that Hofstra has seen all season and even head coach Mo Cassara commented on the “hostile environment” after the game.

VCU controlled the first half with a very fast tempo yielding 13 fast break points while dishing the ball out for an impressive 13 assists. Freshman forward Juvonte Reddic proved that he deserves to be a starter by shooting 4-4 and scoring 8-points in his first 6 minutes. With about 16 minutes remaining in the first half, the Rams offense took off by scoring 8 points in 27 seconds off of a Reddic dunk, Bradford Burgess 3-pt play and an Ed Nixon 3-pointer. Senior forward Jamie Skeen had the hot hand as he led the Rams in the first half with 13 points. By playing their style, almost to perfection, VCU built an impressive 48-33 halftime lead.

The pace slowed in the second half as Hofstra’s defense improved and VCU put more underclassmen in the game. The Rams adapted well and young players like Troy Daniels and Rob Brandenberg proved that VCU has nothing to fear in the future. Charles Jenkins, who scored fifteen points in the first half finished the game with only 19 points thanks to a strong defensive effort by senior guard Ed Nixon. While Hofstra’s offense continued to play steady, they had no answers on defense. Three of their best players ended the game with 4 fouls and several of those fouls ended in three point plays.

The Rams finished the evening with an 82-67 victory making it their 6^th consecutive victory against the Pride.

With about 8 and a half minutes left in the game, after contributing 18 points, Jamie Skeen hit the floor hard while playing defense. After several minutes he walked unassisted off the court. After disappearing into the locker room he returned with his knee wrapped in ice. After the game Coach Shaka Smart gave no details other than, “The doctor is optimistic.”

Already short senior guard Brandon Rozzell to a broken hand, the Rams underclassmen will be forced to carry more weight as the Rams continue their conference play without their 1^st and 3^rd highest scorers. Fortunately 5 players for VCU had 9 or more points against Hofstra.

In a high-pressure game, the Rams did not falter. Now in sole possession of first place in the Colonial Athletic Association, the Rams are likely to receive more AP top 25 votes and build their resume for the post-season.

The Rams look to win their 4^th game in eight days on Saturday when UNC-Wilmington visits the Siegel Center where the Rams own the nations 4^th best active home winning streak with 21 consecutive victories.

January 28, 2011 8:16 AM 2