RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Back in the friendly confines of the Stuart C. Siegel Center in the heart of Richmond for VCU basketball. The 6-5 Rams look to continue their winning ways against a 3-10 Liberty squad in front of a home crowd. VCU leads the all-time series against the Liberty Flames 5-1 but the two teams have not played since 1998.
Starting lineup for the Rams:
Mo Alie-Cox (F), JeQuan Lewis (G), Michael Gilmore (F), Jordan Burgess (G), and Melvin Johnson (G)
16:30 — Melvin Johnson is off to a hot start (as are the rest of the Rams. Johnson is already 2-2 from beyond the arc. VCU leads it 14-4.
Deep thought: Six Rams have scored at least 2 points so far. Good distribution.
3:25 — Fan favorite Torey Burston is in the game as the Rams continue to dominate. VCU 33 — Liberty 13.
Halftime score: VCU 45 — Liberty 16.
Stat line: Eight Rams are on the score sheet at the half, led by JeQuan Lewis’ 10 points. Justin Tillman has 10 boards.
15:57 — VCU continues to pressure on the defensive end in Wade’s new “Hybrid Havoc” system. The Rams have come out quick scoring 14 points already in the second half. VCU 59 — Liberty 22.
Stat line: Three Rams are in double-digits — Melvin Johnson (15), JeQuan Lewis (14), and Jordan Burgess (11).
Score update: VCU 78 — Liberty 50.
Deep thought: The ball was spread around today. Seven players scored at least 8 points.
Final score: VCU 85 Liberty 57.
Player of the game: Today’s POG Justin Tillman, who had 6 points and 11 rebounds. Expect to see games like that in the future.
“We’ve got guards out there that can’t guard.” — VCU Head Coach Will Wade
Final thoughts: Let’s not get too crazy — this is a good win, but against an inferior team. What I really liked was the intensity and focus on defense by the Rams (I’ve dubbed it the “Hybrid Havoc”). We’ll see if they can continue to play this way as we fast approach the beginning of A-10 play.
What does the team say? The following game notes are from the VCU Atletic Department:
The Difference in the game:
- VCU got off to a hot start from the field, hitting its first six shots en route to a 14-4 advantage at the 16:06 mark in the first half. Johnson led the charge with six points off two 3-pointers.
- Later, five different Rams scored to fuel a 13-2 run midway through the period to extend VCU’s lead to 27-9.
- The Rams held the Flames to their second lowest first half scoring total this season (16). In the frame, Liberty shot 33 percent from the floor (7-of-21) and 14 percent from beyond the 3-point arch (1-of-7).
- VCU extended its lead to as much as 37 points, at 59-22, on a driving layup by Lewis with 16:10 left in the contest.
- Will Wade’s bunch held the lead throughout the entire contest. The score was tied just once at 2-2 with 19:23 left in the first half.
- VCU shot a season-high 53 percent from the field
Stats and other notables:
- Johnson needed just 13 minutes to score 15 points Sunday. In his last two games, the Bronx, New York native is 12-of-17 from the field, including 9-of-14 from 3-point land. Johnson has made 220 career 3-pointers and is eyeing Bradford Burgess (231) next for third on the Rams’ all-time list.
- Liberty’s 16 first-half points were the fewest by a VCU opponent in any half since Western Michigan scored 16 in the first half against the Rams on Dec. 18, 2012.
- Lewis finished with a season-high 14 points, marking the fifth time this season the lead guard has recorded a double-digit scoring performance.
- VCU dominated the paint to the tune of a 40-22 scoring advantage. Junior forward Ahmed Hamdy scored eight points, grabbed nine rebounds, handed out three assists and blocked two shots. Sophomore power forward Justin Tillman added six points and 11 boards for the Rams, who outrebounded Liberty 37-23.
- The Rams are shooting .512 from the field in their past two games.
- VCU’s 10 three-pointers are its second-most this season. The Rams were 10-of-19 overall from that distance.
- The Rams dished out 20 assists Sunday, their second-most this season.
- The Black and Gold extended its school-record sellout streak to 73 games.
And what did coach Will Wade think. He still sees a lot of issues, particularly on defense, that might hold the 7-5 Rams back as they continue the season
“We did win, so that was good.” — VCU Head Coach Will Wade
“We’ve got guards out there that can’t guard,” he said bluntly after the game. “You’ve got to adjust.”
When asked about the fact that seven players scored at least 8 points of more on Sunday, Wade acknowledged the efforts.
“We’re moving the ball a little better,” he said. “The offense will be fine. We’ll be able to score enough points.”
He again stressed the need to guard better, but he did put some of the ownership on his shoulders.
“I’m the fool for playing guys who can’t get it done,” he said.
Wade says that defensive issue that particularly bothers him is the team’s poor play defending the three-point shot. He suggests that the players get in the face of the shooters more often.
“We’ve not no excuses,” he said. “We need to better.”
“We did win, so that was good,” said before ending the press conference.
Next up: North Florida on Wednesday, Dec. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center.
Feel free to be a participant — this is a fan friendly blog. Send me a video of your pre-game, in-game, and/or post-game analysis to rcrocker@wric.com and I might post it. You can tweet at me too @RobbCrockerWRIC. I just might retweet you or make you famous here on the blog. Remember kids, keep it clean, your parents could be watching!
Looking for a place to go before games and when the Rams are on the road? Look no further. The RVA GOLD Alumni Chapter is sponsoring the following fan gatherings:
VCU @ St. Louis
Watch party
When: 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 10
Where: The Pig and Pearl, 2053 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220
VCU @ Richmond
Watch party
When: 2 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 16
Where: The Pig and Pearl, 2053 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220
VCU @ Davidson
Watch party
When: 6 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 29
Where: Southern Railway Taphouse, 111 Virginia St., Suite 100, Richmond, VA 23219
VCU vs. George Washington
Pregame social
When: Noon Saturday, Feb. 6
Where: The Pig and Pearl (walking distance to the Siegel Center), 2053 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220
VCU @ UMASS
Watch party
When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 11
Where: Social 52, 2619 W. Main St., Richmond, VA 23220
VCU vs. Richmond
Pregame social
When: 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 19
Where: The Pig and Pearl (walking distance to the Siegel Center), 2053 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23220
VCU @ George Mason
Watch party
When: TBD Wednesday, Feb. 24
Where: Kickback Jack’s, 9318 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23294
VCU @ George Washington
Watch party
When: 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27
Where: Home Team Grill in the Fan, 1630 W. Main St. (corner of Main and Vine streets), Richmond, VA 23220
VCU @ Dayton
Watch party
When: 8 p.m. Saturday, March 5
Where: Kickback Jack’s, 9318 W. Broad St., Richmond, VA 23294
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