ONE THE HARD WAY: VCU OUTRUNS MISTAKES TO BEAT RHODE ISLAND
12-2-09
By Chris Kowalczyk

It was sloppy, disjointed and exasperating  - and it was a win. If he actually bothered to grow hair on his head, Shaka Smart might have a few more visible grays after VCU’s 82-80 win over Rhode Island Wednesday night.

Smart will gladly accept a win in an ugly nail-biter over the alternative, but he’d rather not make it a habit.

When Smart and Company break down Wednesday’s tape, they’ll try to solve VCU’s 21 turnovers, the Rams’ defensive shortcomings and Rhode Island’s 36-22 rebounding advantage. Then again, VCU had many of those same problems, especially the turnovers, in last year’s 92-86 loss at Rhode Island. At least this time, VCU can search for answers with a victory in its pocket.

VCU appeared to have a win in the bag when Brandon Rozzell’s jumper with 1:36 remaining gave the Black and Gold an 82-76 advantage. However, VCU committed two turnovers and missed the front end of three straight one-and-ones in the final minute-plus. The Rams escaped with the victory only after a half-court 3-pointer by URI’s Marquis Jones clanged off the rim at the buzzer.

“I thought it was one of the most intense games we’ve had,” Smart said. “That last shot looked awfully good until the end. Obviously, if that goes in, it’s a completely different feeling in the locker room.”

Rhode Island led, 49-44, with 17:16 remaining before VCU turned in its finest six-minute stretch of the night, possibly of the season. Led by its high-energy full-court press, the Rams stymied URI and embarked on a 20-8 run. Spearheading the charge were Rozzell and Ed Nixon, who combined for half of VCU’s points during the game-changing blitz. Rozzell finished with a career-high 17 points and four steals. Nixon added nine points on the night.  

“I like to talk about these two guys as the energy brothers,” Smart said of Rozzell and Nixon. “They have phenomenal energy. They don’t come in the game and keep the level of intensity where it is. They lift it up another notch.

“These two guys are starters in my eyes. That’s why you see them in the game at the 17-minute mark. I love the fact that they can come in while the other team still has their first five in and are a little fatigued, and [Nixon and Rozzell] come in and are completely fresh. Tonight, that was the difference for us.”

VCU led the rest of the way, although the Rams’ late-game troubles had the Siegel Center faithful on the edge of their seats.

In Thursday’s paper, Wednesday’s win will look a little brighter. Last season, the Rams couldn’t outrun 26 turnovers in Kingston, R.I. Thursday, VCU will wake up to a 5-1 record for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

“I told our guys, these are the best types of lessons, because you still win the game, but there’s quite a bit to learn from this experience,” Smart said.

Questions or comments? E-mail us at aroundthehorns@yahoo.com or look us up on Facebook.