December 29, 2009

LATE SURGE LIFTS RAMS PAST EAST CAROLINA, 82-74
Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. – With conference play on the horizon, the Virginia Commonwealth University men’s basketball team will use the final six minutes of its Tuesday night contest against East Carolina as a foundation for how they want to play.

The other 34 minutes of the game might be permanently erased as the Rams (8-2) struggled with the athletic Pirates (5-8), but used a 19-5 run over the last six minutes to pick up an 82-74 victory in front of a crowd of 7,124 at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.

“I thought the last six minutes were exactly what we were trying to do coming into tonight. We protected the ball and locked down on defense, so I’m proud of that,” Head Coach Shaka Smart said. “Now the other 34 minutes are what I would call unacceptable. We have to use that as motivation and a learning tool heading into conference play.”

Junior Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla.) (left) led the way with a career-high 23 points, along with nine rebounds and four assists, while classmate Joey Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla.) tallied a season-high 19 points with several clutch baskets down the stretch. Junior Brandon Rozzell (Richmond, Va.) (below, right) was the third Ram in double-figures with 15 points, including two big-time three-pointers in the last five minutes.

Rozzell’s high school teammate and current junior at East Carolina Jamar Abrams was the story of the night with a career-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting to lead a Pirate offense that shot 55.8% from the field.

“Abrams is a terrific player. He really gave us trouble all night with his athleticism and his ability to shoot from nearly anywhere on the court,” Smart said.

The two teams traded baskets for the first six minutes before a lay-up from junior Jamie Skeen (Charlotte, N.C.) and a three-pointer from sophomore Jay Gavin (Seat Pleasant, Md.) gave the Black & Gold a five-point lead at 17-12.

Abrams would then cap off a 11-1 East Carolina run with a three-pointer from the left wing to stake the Pirates to a five-point advantage.

Back-and-forth they would go until Rozzell drove the lane and connected on a jumper as time expired to give the Rams a 44-42 lead heading into halftime.

Abrams would once again give VCU problems, scoring 11 points in the first 10 minutes of the second half to give the Pirates their biggest lead of the night at 67-61.

With the Rams down 69-63 with 6:11 showing on the clock, Rodriguez would get the run started with a three-pointer and later hit a falling down jumper along the baseline that iced the victory. The junior scored seven of his 19 points during the last six minutes to ignite the Black & Gold rally.

“Joey’s a heady player,” Smart stated. “He’s a guy who seems to know when the big plays are needed and he was able to come through tonight. He’s a good shooter and I knew that at some point his shots would start to fall and it was certainly nice to see it tonight.”

In addition to the three Rams in double-figures, Gavin finished with eight points, while Skeen added seven points and seven rebounds in his first home game.

For East Carolina, Chad Wynn tallied 17 points and eight rebounds, while Brock Young was explosive at the point guard spot all night with 16 points, seven assists and six rebounds.

VCU will now enter Colonial Athletic Association play, beginning with a 2 p.m. showdown on Saturday afternoon against the Seahawks of UNC Wilmington.