VCU, led by Max Shulga’s 22 points, overcame a sluggish start with a dominating second half, claiming a 70-54 win over George Mason in a raucous Siegel Center Saturday afternoon.
The long-anticipated clash with the Patriots was for the top spot in the A-10.
Mason came to Richmond leading the A-10 with a 12-1 conference record, while the Rams entered the contest 11-2.
The Patriots had the nation’s third-longest winning streak (11) and had previously won 19 of their last 21 games.
Trailing 24-23 at halftime, VCU (22-5, 12-2 A-10) used a 15-0 run to take a 42-29 lead midway through the second half and never allowed the Patriots closer than nine the remainder of the contest.
A Joe Bamisile catch-and-shoot three on the right corner gave the Rams a 50-39 lead.
George Mason’s Woody Newton immediately followed with a basket on the right wing to make it 50-41, but that’s as close as the Patriots could come.
The 15-0 VCU Ram run was capped by a Zeb Johnson drive-and-kick to Jack Clark on the left wing. Clark buried a three at the 14-minute mark of the second half, sending the home fans into a frenzy.
The Rams, coming off a pedestrian win over UMass Wednesday night (80-51), appeared out of sorts in Saturday’s opening half.
Mason took an anything-but-impressive 24-23 lead into the break, but you could sense that the Rams were close to finding their rhythm.
The second-half performance confirmed that.
While the state’s flagship programs, Virginia and Virginia Tech from the ACC, are struggling this season, VCU and George Mason took center stage here Saturday.
The game, rugged at times, didn’t disappoint from the excitement perspective.
In the end, VCU delivered for the home crowd.
Trailing 29-27 with 18 minutes left, the Rams appeared shaky in an old-fashioned slugfest, which is exactly what GMU preferred.
Then, almost automatically, VCU changed gears.
On the 15-0 onslaught, VCU forced GM into a more up-tempo pace.
The Patriots did not respond well.
“The offense was better; all of a sudden, we were scoring, and then there was sustained defensive pressure,” said VCU coach Ryan Odom.
Hey, what do you know? Playing at a faster tempo while still playing intense defense is possible.
I’ve watched the Rams play a few times in person this season, and that’s precisely my take. They shift to a higher gear offensively, and the defense shifts, too.
“It was a totally different tempo in the second half,” noted Odom.
Saturday, George Mason found that out.
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