Rams slay the Dragons

The Drexel Dragons came into Virginia Commonwealth’s Stuart C. Siegel Center on Tuesday night employing a three-guard starting lineup aimed at utilizing quickness to overcome their lack of size. Larry Sanders put an end to that game plan early and often en route to 29 points and 13 rebounds as the Rams defeated their conference foe 73-54.

February 17, 2010; 12:00 PM • by Lathan Wells

Early on the frenetic pace did seem to faze the Ram ball-handlers, and turnovers kept the Dragons in the mix. However, once the Rams’ guards realized the advantage that Sanders held in the paint they were able to continually lob the ball inside. Sanders manhandled his opponents in the post, tacking on five blocks on the defensive end to go along with his offensive prowess.

“Larry was phenomenal tonight,” Head Coach Shaka Smart said. “I told him after the game, when he comes with that type of approach and intensity, we’re going to be tough to beat. We’re a different team when he plays like he did tonight.”

Sanders was aided by the usual steady play of Bradford Burgess, who notched a double-double of his own with 11 points and ten rebounds.

Joey Rodriguez’s three-pointer sent the Rams into the half with a 33-21 lead that they continued to add onto in the second session, starting right out of the gates with an 8-2 run. Coach Shaka Smart elected to play much of the game with both Rodriguez and backup point man Darius Theus in the game simultaneously. This allowed for better security with the basketball and also allowed the Rams to spread the ball around the perimeter until they found a favorable spot to deliver to Sanders. The Rams showed a winner’s mentality in the second half, continuing to push the throttle despite the lead they carried into the half. Brandon Rozzell hit a pair of three-pointers to help ignite the crowd, and also had some nifty dishes to Sanders for dunks that kept the Rams’ faithful on their feet.

The Rams’ defensive effort was equally as impressive. They held the Dragons to just 36.2% shooting and 11 turnovers, and Drexel looked very uncomfortable on the offensive end in the second half.

“I’m really proud of the way our guys responded defensively,” Smart said. “We had a long meeting after we got back from James Madison, about an hour and a half, and we talked about really committing ourselves to the defensive end of the court. I certainly thought we did that tonight.”

Jamie Harris oftentimes appeared to be the only reliable offensive player for Drexel, and he finished with 20 points on 7-17 shooting. Shannon Givens added 12 points for the Dragons. The post players for the Dragons were never able to get into a rhythm in part due to Sanders’ length and shot-blocking presence and in part due to near-constant lineup alterations forced by foul trouble.

The victory tied VCU for fifth in the conference with Drexel, though the Dragons hold the tie-breaker edge by virtue of their perfect mark against conference leader Northeastern. Next up for the Rams is a nationally televised “Bracketbuster” matchup with Akron on Saturday at home.

(Image courtesy of VCU Ram Nation)