Game of the Night
VCU Rams 85, Liberty Flames 57
Just as expected, the Rams had no trouble getting past Liberty during their first game back from holiday break. Melvin Johnson led the way with 15 points on 5 of 6 shooting including 4 of 5 from downtown. JeQuan Lewis was right behind him with 14 points on 6 of 10 shooting. Justin Tillman had a nice showing for VCU as well as he pulled down 11 boards to go with 6 points. Liberty was led by Ryan Kemrite with 17 points and 6 boards.
The Rams ran out to a 45-16 halftime lead that buried the Flames before they even had a chance to look at the scoreboard. VCU used its size advantage to control the boards all night long; the Rams outrebounded Liberty 37-23 and pulled down 12 boards on the offensive end. VCU’s defense was solid as well, as it forced 14 turnovers on the night.
The Rams ability to knock down three pointers was huge in this contest and will need to continue to be moving forward. North Florida, VCU’s next opponent, leads the nation in three pointers made with 194. Their closest competitor is Lipscomb who trails them by 30 threes. VCU will need to make three pointers and defend the perimeter in order to beat a tough North Florida team.
The Rams knocked down 10 of 19 three point attempts and were really on fire from all over the floor. They shot 53% overall and had one of their better offensive showings this season. Defense needs to continue to be the key though, as the Rams let up a little and allowed the Flames to drop 41 in the second half. Nevertheless, VCU has to be happy with this dominating victory at home as it looks on to its next opponent.
