RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Back on the couch, live blogging. The Rams (9-5, 1-0) face the Saint Joseph’s Hawks (11-2, 1-0) in Philadelphia. I’ve been to Hagan Arena (I use the term arena loosely) and it is a tough, hot, small venue. Think Cary Street Gym meets the local YMCA basketball court.
Besides the environment, VCU will have a tough challenge against a veteran team that was not expected to make much noise this year in the A-10.
VCU starters:
Mo Alie-Cox (F), JeQuan Lewis (G), Michael Gilmore (F), Jordan Burgess (G), and Melvin Johnson (G)
5:13 — Late start for me, but I turned the game on at the right time. VCU gets it’s first lead of the game. VCU 27 — SJU 26.
Stat line: Rams are shooting 41 percent from the floor so far.
1:36 — Lewis hits a jumper, Rams still on top. VCU 36 — SJU 31.
1:02 — Lewis hits another jumper off a good screen from Burgess. VCU 38 — SJU 34.
Halftime score: VCU 38 — SJU 35.
Stat line: Lewis leads all scorers with 12 points.
Deep thought: It seems like SJU’s junior DeAndre Bembry has been there forever.
17:26 — SJU is on a 11-0 run to start the second half. SJU 46 — VCU 38.
Stat line: VCU 0-4 in second half, SJU 6-6.
16:10 — Gilmore breaks the drought. SJU 48 — VCU 40.
Deep thought: This is not the first time VCU has stumbled out of the gate in the second half. Coach Will Wade has mentioned this in his weekly press conferences.
11:54 — A 9-2 run for VCU including two 3-balls from Johnson. SJU 57 — VCU 51.
Stat line: Johnson has 16 points for the game.
Deep thought: SJU’s Isiah Miles (28 points) is crushing the Rams — it does not help that they have left him open a couple of times.
5:13 — Johnson (24 points) is keeping the Rams in the game. SJU 72 — VCU 65.
3:03 — Doug Brooks hits a 3-ball and then fouls out of the game. SJU 75 — VCU 70.
1:48 — New game. VCU is going low to Mo. VCU 78 — SJU 77.
Deep thought: Will Wade saw something. Mo has scored the last 10 points.
:10.3 — Lewis hits two clutch free throws but SJU scores quick. VCU 84 — SJU 82.
Final: VCU 85 — SJU 82.
POG: Too easy. The Rams looked absolutely flat until they started feeding Mo Alie-Cox the ball down low. Ten of his 14 points came late in the second half.
Insider thoughts (courtesy of VCU Athletics):
How it happened:
- Alie-Cox scored 10 straight points in the waning moments, including a hook shot with 1:34 remaining to give VCU a 78-77 lead and cap a 13-3 VCU run. Moments later, following a Saint Joseph’s free throw, he gave the Rams the lead for good at 80-78 with a bucket with 1:12 remaining. The Hawks’ DeAndre’ Bembry misfired on Saint Joseph’s ensuing possession, and VCU’s JeQuan Lewis responded by driving the lane for a layup with 21.7 left.
- Bembry had a look from 3-point range on the Hawks’ final possession, but fired a shot off the front of rim, and VCU covered up the rebound as time expired.
- VCU trailed by as many as 13 points in the second half. The Hawks opened the second half with a 13-0 blitz to erase a three-point VCU halftime lead and pushed to a 70-57 advantage with 7:11 remaining.
- A Bembry dunk with 4:57 left gave the Hawks a 74-65 lead with 4:57 left, but a 3-pointer by Doug Brooks pulled the Rams within five a short time later. VCU threw the ball down low to Alie-Cox on the next five possessions and produced points each time.
Inside the box:
- Johnson notched his eighth 20-point effort of the season. He scored 18 of his points in the second half alone to keep the Rams within striking distance. He was 5-of-12 from 3-point range. Johnson also grabbed seven rebounds.
- Alie-Cox scored 14 points and added five rebounds. Junior JeQuan Lewis also provided 19 points and dished out six assists.
- VCU committed just eight turnovers in the game, the Rams’ third straight contest with single digits in that category.
- Saint Joseph’s Isaiah Miles led all scorers with 31 points on 11-of-14 shooting. Bembry added 17 points.
Quotable:
- “We always had faith in the huddle during timeouts we could come back.” – Mo Alie-Cox.
Final thought: I’ve got to be honest — I was trying to figure out what my game obituary was going to be when VCU stormed back after looking very flat and being down by as much as 13. While we always want to give as much credit as possible to the players when they have runs like Mo did down the stretch, I think Will Wade saw something in the way Saint Joe’s was defending the Rams. And, he instructed the Rams to exploit it.
Gutsy performance. VCU can also credit their tough early season schedule for preparing them for pressure situations. After facing Duke, Wisconsin, Florida State, Georgia Tech, and Cincinnati, I don’t think that there is a team that this Rams’ squad fears. It is really a matter of execution.
What’s next: At Saint Louis at 4 p.m. on January 10.
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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