VCU sets pace a tad too fast for the Monarchs' liking

RICHMOND

Virginia Commonwealth wants havoc. Old Dominion prefers structure.

The Rams seek to speed opponents up. The Monarchs strive to bog them down.

The contrast in styles has resulted in some classic games in the CAA's most heated and entertaining rivalry. As a rule, the team that gets the game at its preferred pace has come out ahead.

On Saturday, that team was VCU, which won 61-48 at the Siegel Center. The win pulled the Rams (15-5, 6-2) even with the Monarchs after knocking ODU out of a first-place tie with George Mason (15-5, 7-1).

This one was no classic. ODU (11-9, 6-2) went 10 minutes without a field goal in the second half, allowing the Rams to open a double-digit lead the Monarchs were never able to overcome.

The Rams' Troy Daniels almost single-handedly brought VCU out of its recent shooting slump, hitting three quick 3-pointers early in the second half to break the game open. He had 16 points.

The Monarchs, meanwhile, had trouble getting second-half shots, turning the ball over against VCU's pressure defense.

ODU couldn't sustain anything offensively. For the Monarchs, structure comes in the form of running its half-court sets for layups or open looks from the perimeter, and then settling into a zone defense that is a thicket of long arms.

For the Rams, sewing havoc often means making a steal and converting at the other end, or hitting a transition 3-pointer that swings the momentum.

VCU made one such play with less than 14 minutes left, turning a Kent Bazemore turnover into a Daniels 3-pointer that gave VCU a 41-35 lead. After an ODU timeout, Daniels hit another to make it 44-35. After a missed free throw by Trian Iliadis, a lay-up by Briante Weber pushed the lead to 46-35. Yet another Daniels 3-pointer put the Rams up 14 with under 11 minutes left.

The Monarchs were in danger of letting the game get away - precisely what happened.

The first half hinted at what was to come. VCU led 32-25 after closing the first half on a 9-2 run. Guard Rob Brandenberg had six points in that span, including a 3-pointer from the right wing with 50 seconds left.

ODU ran out to a 7-0 lead early after the Rams missed their first seven shots. But VCU hit 11 of 19 in the half after that. The Monarchs made just 35 percent (11 of 31) in the first 20 minutes.

Finally getting some shots fall allowed VCU to set up its pressure defense. The Rams had seven steals and forced 11 first-half turnovers.

The difficulty each team had making shots was no surprise, given the level of defensive intensity. ODU and VCU came in ranked 10th and 11th, respectively, in field goal percentage among CAA teams. Each was shooting about 40 percent.

The difference is that the Monarchs needed a couple of hot-shooting games to get there, while VCU arrived at that number as the result of a five-game slump. The Rams had not shot better than 36 percent over that period.

ODU had won four straight coming in. VCU had won three straight and 11 of its past 13.