Coming off a massive win against UMass, VCU had possibly its biggest game of the season at home against George Mason University. The game proved to be a tale of two halves for the Rams, with a strong second half propelling them to a 70-54 win and placing them first in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The first half was an aggressive and defensive slugfest, with George Mason and VCU having double-digit personal fouls and not scoring more than 25 points.
VCU graduate guard Phillip Russell opened up the scoring for the Rams less than a minute in before a four-minute scoring drought derailed the offense.
Russell again scored for VCU to end the drought before a three-minute drought soon followed.
George Mason began to take advantage of VCU’s struggling offense by going up 15-10. VCU graduate guard Max Shulga did his part for the Rams, scoring seven straight to keep the game tight.
In the first half, the VCU defense did its part to pick up for the offense’s inconsistencies, as George Mason had similar struggles to build on consistent scoring.
The Rams went into halftime losing 24-23 and clearly struggling to find their offense. VCU shot an abysmal 24% from the field and 19% from 3. George Mason didn’t fare much better, shooting 28% from the field and 27% from 3.
Shulga was a bright offensive spot for VCU, scoring 10 points on 50% shooting and contributing two rebounds and a steal.
However, VCU came out of the tunnel for the second half looking like a completely different team.
VCU freshman Luke Bamgboye quickly scored for the Rams before Russell hit two consecutive jump shots to ignite a 15-0 run.
The Rams’ defense played stellar throughout this run, causing eight turnovers over five minutes.
“We turned the ball over, they didn’t do anything special,” George Mason coach Tony Skinn said. “It’s hard to win games when you’re taking tough shots and you’re turning the basketball over.”
VCU, however, found themselves struggling immediately following the run, going on a three-minute scoring drought and allowing George Mason to bring it back within single digits.
VCU graduate forward Jack Clark shifted the momentum back in the Rams’ favor with a 3 halfway through the second.
“He’s really settled into a great role for our team,” VCU coach Ryan Odom said. “Tonight, I thought he was excellent.”
The game remained within striking distance for George Mason before a Shulga 3 put VCU up 14 with only three minutes remaining.
Rams junior Christian Fermin put the closing remarks on the game with two consecutive dunks as the Rams earned a hard-fought 16-point win.
The Rams’ second-half shooting vastly improved, as they shot 52% from the field and 41% from 3.
“We knew that they would fall eventually,” VCU’s Russell said.
The Rams forced 14 total turnovers, scoring 20 points off them. Shulga led the Rams in scoring with 22 while Clark contributed nine rebounds.
This win puts VCU (22-5, 12-2 A-10) in first place in the A-10 and extends its win streak to six and its undefeated record at home to 14.
VCU will play its next game on the road against cross-town rivals Richmond (10-18, 5-10 A-10) at 7 p.m. ET Tuesday.
