Rams zap Zips

VCU came through with a 70-53 win on Saturday afternoon over their opponent from the Mid-American Conference in a nationally televised game via ESPNU. The Rams, now an annual participant in the BracketBuster event, hope to have swung some momentum with their victory over the MAC conference’s number one team.

February 21, 2010; 8:04 AM • by Lathan Wells

At the 19:09 mark, the scoreboard at the Stuart C. Siegel Center inexplicably read Virginia Commonwealth University 131, Akron University 27. The raucous VCU student section, decked out in mostly black, chanted, “Scoreboard! Scoreboard!” The basketball gods weren’t quite that fortuitous for the Rams, but the home team vanquished their ESPN BracketBuster foe nonetheless.

Perhaps most importantly, the Rams again proved they can win when superstar forward Larry Sanders spends the bulk of his time on the bench. Despite Sanders’ game-high 15 points and nine rebounds, he spent much of the second half in foul trouble and eventually fouled out with 2:28 to go. By that time, however, the group effort by the Rams’ supporting cast had overwhelmed their visitors from Ohio, and once again it was the effort on the defensive end that made the difference.

For the game VCU held the Zips from Akron to 32.8% shooting, including 29.4% in half number one, and never let their opponent get comfortable in their half-court offense. While Akron did a good job early on clogging the paint and making entry passes difficult for the Rams, it soon became obvious that the Rams’ prowess in the open floor would provide for easier, uncontested baskets.

At the beginning of half number two, after some long-range shots fell for Akron guard Steve McNees, the score was only 34-32 in favor of the home team. Head coach Shaka Smart called a timeout and rallied the troops, who promptly went on a 7-0 run fueled by a Brandon Rozzell layup off of a steal and a three-point basket. From there, the Rams never looked back as they again tightened up their defense even when Sanders was unable to stay on the floor with his foul issues. “I really thought today was one of our better defensive performances,” Coach Smart said. “We did a great job interrupting their rhythm, which ultimately forced them into an off-shooting night.”

The Rams also received an invaluable effort from guard Darius Theus, who oftentimes ran the point as Coach Smart elected to play usual point man Joey Rodriguez off the ball. Theus chipped in with ten points and helped to keep the Rams settled each time Akron attempted to rattle them with a half-court press or mini-run of their own.

The balanced effort from the Rams, outside of Sanders’ 15 points, included Jamie Skeen’s 11, Ed Nixon’s 10, Theus’ ten and Rozzell’s 13 off the bench. Once again the Rams showed they are more than a team predicated on living off their best player in the post. The versatility and defensive prowess for VCU paid off with another victory, this time in front of a national television audience. “It’s always good to have a bunch of guys contributing. Larry has some foul trouble tonight and Joey (Rodriguez) was hampered by an injury, so it was great to have a bunch of other guys step up and lead the way,” Coach Smart stated.

VCU improved to 19-7 overall, remaining 10-6 in the conference, while Akron fell to 20-8 overall. The Rams will host conference foe James Madison on Wednesday prior to their final game on the road against rival Old Dominion as they continue to posture for positioning going into the conference tournament.