UPDATE – That’s a wrap. VCU wins 65-57. That’s six in a row and eight of the past nine for the Rams in this series. Check back at Virginia Sports Now later for a full report. T.J. Gywnn finished with 20 points for the Rams – but our story later will focus on his leadership. His play at the end of the first half kept this from getting out of hand. VCU is now 6-2, UR is now 7-2. No VCU player has lost to UR. No UR player has beaten VCU.
UPDATE – Brandon Rozzell hits another 3-pointer for VCU, Justin Harper lays it in for UR. Spiders call timeout. There’s 44.8 seconds left, VCU will have the ball and a 60-57 lead. Don’t go anywhere!
UPDATE – The last media timeout comes with only 1:37 on the clock. VCU has a 57-55 lead. UR will have the ball. The Rams had a chance to extend the lead but Larry Sanders was called for a travel, which led to the break. UR has ventured outside on its past couple of possessions. We’ll see what UR’s Chris Mooney and VCU’s Shaka Smart have cooked up for the final 97 seconds as the teams head back to the floor.
UPDATE – Larry Sanders gets the ball inside and scores for VCU. David Gonzalvez takes it into the lane on the other end and scores for Richmond. That kind of game – UR has a 55-52 lead with 3:39 to play. We still have a media timeout ahead of us. UR called a 30-second timeout. Sanders is up to 10 points, Gonzalvez has 19. Sanders has missed three free throws recently. This could be a closer game. As it is, it has been a doozy and it is now tied up after another 3-pointer by Brandon Rozzell. We’re coming up on three minutes and both teams have 55.
UPDATE – There’s 5:55 on the clock as we head to the third media timeout of the half. UR is up 53-50 with the ball. The Spiders have settled down and this has settled into quite a game. VCU got a three-pointer from Brandon Rozzell, his first basket of the game. UR came down and answered with a 3-pointer by 6-10 Justin Harper. Dan Geriot is up to 11 points for the Spiders – Geriot, David Gonzalvez and Kevin Anderson have 46 of the Spiders’ 53 points. What a game – VCU did a marvelous job getting back into it after being on the verge of getting blown out. UR has done a marvelous job righting its ship after a terrible start to the second half.
UPDATE – Buckle it up. This figures to be a wild final few minutes. UR has scored seven straight and now has a 40-39 lead at the second media timeout of the second half. There’s 11:25 to play. Richmond has done a good job keeping Larry Sanders from being a part of the Rams offensive attack but Dan Geriot picked up his third foul on a driving Sanders just before the break. VCU expended a ton of energy to get back into the game, let’s see how much the Rams have left and if they can close this out to keep their winning streak in this series alive. David Gonzalvez is up to 17 points for Richmond.
UPDATE – Official John Gwynn (no relation to T.J., we assume) just hit the UR bench with a technical foul. Joey Rodriguez made both, the VCU lead is up to four and the Rams have the ball. Things are unraveling quickly for the Spiders, who looked so good for the first 18 minutes. They’re now down six after a dunk by Brandon Burgess and UR coach Chris Mooney has called for a 30-second timeout (that for some reason extends to a full timeout). VCU is on a 24-6 run since being down 27-15.
UPDATE – As of the last media timeout, T.J. Gwynn had 14 points. No other VCU player had more than four. Gwynn also has four rebounds. There’s two more points for Terrance Saintil, who has given VCU a 34-33 lead with 14:25 to play and is going to the line for a 3-point play. He makes the foul shot and is up to seven points in about four minutes. Rams lead by two.
UPDATE – Terrance Saintil, in his first game of the season, has given VCU a great burst of energy with three great defensive players and four points on the other end since coming in to replace Larry Sanders. Going into the first media timeout of the half, VCU has pulled within three points and Ed Nixon will be going to the line for the Rams. VCU is at 85 percent from the line for the game. A dose of Saintil looks to be just what the Rams needed. UR coach Chris Mooney is no doubt using the timeout to tell his team to calm down and quit rushing, to get back to the patient attack that took the Spiders to a 12-point lead in the first half. If Saintil keeps it up, Richmond may have to go the outside attack the Rams tried earlier in the game.
UPDATE – Second half is underway and VCU has cut UR’s lead to seven, with T.J. Gwynn going to the line. Will the first five minutes of this half determine the outcome? Gwynn hit both, the UR lead is now 5 and he’s up to 14 points. But VCU’s Larry Sanders just picked up his third foul, less than two minutes into the half.
NUMBERS UPDATE – VCU is only 7-24 from the floor, UR is 13-28. Rams are 1-10 from 3-point range, Spiders are 3-7. Rams have closed the rebounding gap a bit, UR has a 19-16 edge there. UR is 0-4 from the foul line, VCU is 5-7. Larry Sanders is the only VCU player with two fouls. Justin Harper and Josh Duinker have two for Richmond.
UPDATE – UR lead2 29-20 at the break, thanks to a late bucket by Kevin Anderson. The Rams are lucky it isn’t worse. T.J. Gwynn, a senior, did some damage late in the half to run his game total to 12 points. He powered his way to an inside bucket and later added a 3-point play. He’s asserting himself and providing the Rams what they look to be missing with Eric Maynor gone – senior leadership. If Gwynn didn’t do what he did late, this game would be firmly in the Spiders’ control. UR is playing much better overall and still has the upper hand – don’t get me wrong. I like what they’ve done in the first half and like the position they’re in. From VCU’s perspective, the hole could be a lot deeper. Back with some halftime numbers when they’re delivered.
UPDATE – Down to the final media timeout of the half and UR leads 25-15 and has the ball. VCU has been called for three quick fouls and the Rams (and their fans) aren’t happy. VCU is shooting inside a bit more. The Rams are now at 10 shots from 3-point range and nine from inside. They’re 5-19 overall to 11-23 for the Spiders, who have increased their lead to 12. T.J. Gwynn is VCU’s top scorer with 7. David Gonzalvez has 12 and Kevin Anderson 8 for the Spiders.
UPDATE – At the third media break, the Spiders had a 20-13 advantage. VCU seems determined to stick to its plan to attack from the outside. The Rams are up to 13 shots and nine of them have been from 3-point range. T.J. Gwynn’s is the only one that went in. Ed Nixon is 0-3. And Larry Sanders just picked up his second foul. Sophomore Terrance Saintil, who has been out after thumb surgery, just checked in for his first appearance of the season. UR, meanwhile, has taken 20 shots and only five have been from 3-point range. They have one more “bonus” make than the Rams. UR is also dominating the boards, 14-8 to this point. The Spiders are now out to a 10point lead and David Gonzalvez has a dozen points.
UPDATE – Larry Sanders is blocking everything in sight. He has at least four now. He also took another 3-pointer. That can’t be part of the Rams’ plan. VCU doesn’t seem too interested in working the ball inside as UR moves out to an 18-11 lead.
UPDATE – Spiders have moved out to a 14-9 lead as the Rams went more than five minutes without a field goal. UR coach Chris Mooney was not happy with the official as Ed Nixon drove for that field goal. He wanted a palming call. David Gonzalvez had five quick points for the Spiders since we last talked and now leads them with seven. UR’s experience is showing as it deals with VCU’s press. The Spiders are moving the ball well. No sooner typed than the Spiders had to call timeout when they couldn’t get the ball inbounds following a media timeout. VCU has four turnovers at this juncture to only two for the Spiders. VCU still living outside – six of its eight shots have been from 3-point range and it has only made one.
UPDATE – Still tied at 5, UR was getting in the lane easily very early. Not so much anymore. VCU made 2 of its first 5 shots, including a “can you believe that” swish of a 3-pointer by T.J. Gwynn as the shot clock expired. Four of the Rams’ first five shots were 3-pointers, including one by 6-11 Larry Sanders. The Rams probably need him a little closer to the hoop. He does have two rebounds, a steal and a block already. Geriot has five of UR’s now 7 points, including a 3-pointer.
UPDATE – I’m getting old. Earlier, I posted about the first games in this series. Jeff Butler was a Spiders standout in those days. His son Ryan is a senior on this UR team. William and Mary’s David Schneider is the son of Jeff Schneider, a fine player I covered some during his days at Virginia Tech. Lord, time does fly. Meanwhile, it’s tied at 5 here.
UPDATE – Hunter Elliott is at the mic, introducing the starters. For the Spiders: Justin Harper, Ryan Butler, Dan Geriot, David Gonzalvez, Kevin Anderson. For the Rams: Larry Sanders, Joey Rodriguez, Bradford Burgess, T.J. Gwynn, Brandon Rozzell.
UPDATE – Anthems have been played. The Spiders are back on the court. The Rams have a tunnel of cheerleaders waiting for them. The clock shows less than three minutes before tipoff. Not many empty seats and there won’t be any in just a couple of minutes. Here come the Rams. This place still gets pretty loud. UR coach Chris Mooney and VCU’s Shaka Smart are doing the pre-game handshake thing with the opposing staff. Seems like there’s a game about to begin. Let’s tip this thing off.
I have a hard time believing this is the 64th meeting between VCU and Richmond. That’s a lot of games. It seems like yesterday the series got started.
Yours truly was a VCU student when the Rams started playing the Spiders. VCU’s program was allegedly in much stronger shape and the Rams were supposed to be easy winners in the two games. Yeah, right. The Spiders won the first game at UR. NO WAY the Spiders were going to win the rematch 10 days later at the Coliseum. Except, of course, they did. And the rivalry took off.
Both teams have had their ups and downs over the years. UR dominated for a while, VCU dominated for a while – including now. The Rams have won five straight over UR and seven of the past eight. VCU has only lost once to UR since the Spiders left the CAA to join the Atlantic 10.
Keeping that streak alive isn’t going to be easy for VCU. I’ve always believed rivalries are much more fun when both teams are good, and that seems to be the case now. UR comes in 7-1, with the only loss at William and Mary. VCU comes in at 5-2, with one of the losses at William and Mary. Last year, when I watched the game as a VCU employee, I felt like the Rams had the best player on the floor. That’s not a knock on UR at all. In Eric Maynor, VCU had the best player on the floor in almost every game it played.
Beyond Maynor, the talent appeared to be equal. And Maynor is now playing for the Utah Jazz. Plus, UR has 6-9 junior Dan Geriot back. He sat out last season with an injury. Last year, the Rams’ dominant player was the guy who had it in his hands. This year, the Rams’ dominant player is 6-11 junior Larry Sanders – and the Rams must get it into his hands to be effective.
Chris Mooney is in his fifth season as UR’s coach. He has never beaten VCU. Shaka Smart is in his first season at UR. He’s never lost to the Spiders. Of course, he’s never beaten them either.
I will take a moment and admit right here that it will be difficult to watch VCU play, seeing as how I’m less than a year removed from working here and working closely with the basketball team. I don’t know Smart beyond a couple of interviews. I know assistant Mike Rhoades from his days as head coach at Randolph-Macon but I don’t know any of the other staff. I do know most of the players and I like them a lot.
I’ve always prided myself in my objectivity as a journalist and I will cover the Rams as objectively as I can – no one needs to be worried about that (like anyone would be). I’m just being honest and conceding it won’t be easy.
My old colleague at the Times-Dispatch, Tim Pearrell, is seated next to me. Tim has covered VCU for many years and has always done a great job with the Rams. Neither of us are really sure what to expect tonight. It’s a sellout, so the Siegel Center will be packed and loud. That may tilt things in favor of the Rams. Or maybe not.
We’ll know soon enough. Stay with us here at www.vasportsnow.com – we’ll post updates throughout the evening and come back with a full story of some sort as soon as possible when the game ends.
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