VCU overcomes late gut check at Richmond: What did we learn from Rams win over Spiders?

After Collin Tanner's backcourt steal teed up a Dusan Neskovic 3-pointer to cap a 13-0 Richmond run with 6:03 remaining in the 95th Capital City Classic at Robins Center on Tuesday night, UR cut the deficit to its arch rivals down to 63-54 in a game the Rams led for 35:41 and by as much as 22. 

The "defense" chants from the red-and-blue-clad Spiders faithful were deafening. The black-and-gold-clad visiting fans were, for the first time all night, subdued.

Was VCU's nemesis really going to come all the way back to spoil its march to Atlantic 10 supremacy in such fashion?

Not so. Spiders coach Chris Mooney was called for a technical while arguing for a call on a Neskovic drive.

Max Shulga sank the ensuing free throws, Joe Bamisile converted a rugged offensive rebound and put-back, and the Rams (23-5, 13-2 A-10) controlled the final moments from there to down the Spiders (10-19, 5-11 A-10) 78-60 in a game that got much nervier, if only for a moment, than the final score would suggest.  

With the win, VCU now leads the all-time series 62-33.

"All of a sudden, (the lead is) inside of 10 and there's a ton of game pressure on us at that point, especially when you have that big of a lead," Rams coach Ryan Odom said of UR's resurgence and that pivotal swing point. 

"The energy is going, not only with the players but the fans. Our guys did a nice job from there of settling in, following our process, making plays on both sides and doing our best to finish the game out.

"But you have to credit Richmond, their players and coaches, for the fight they gave throughout the night."

Here's what we learned as VCU won its seventh straight, swept its rivals and moved a half game above George Mason atop the A-10 standings ahead of the Patriots' Wednesday night home game against Fordham. 

Odom Ball flows in first half

VCU led 51-33 at halftime following a clinical first-half offensive showing in which the Rams sank 10-of-15 3-point attempts. 

The ball popped around the perimeter time and time again in a free-flowing display exemplary of the bran of offense Odom's teams are known for. 

"I felt like we were clicking, they were very unselfish," Odom said. "Our guys did a nice job of sharing the ball, playing the way we need to play."

Shulga paced VCU with 16 points (4-of-6 from the floor, 3-of-3 from beyond the arc, 5-of-6 at the FT line) and four assists. Bamisile posted 13 points (5-of-10 shooting) and a team-high eight rebounds. 

"Ball movement. We talked about it pregame, we've got to move the ball side-to-side more, because they really sit in gaps to help on the drives," Shulga said of what led to VCU's hot outside shooting.

"So we had to move the ball across the court to get that advantage that led to the 3s."

The Rams shot just 1-of-9 from 3 in a disjointed second half. Odom and Mooney said UR at halftime adjusted its defensive schemes to switch matchups on the perimeter and take 3-point looks away.

Experience shows up in clutch time

A less experienced team would have perhaps been rattled amid a late 13-0 run on the road against its rivals to largely erase what had to that point been a comfortable, sizeable lead.  

But the graduate core of Shulga, Bamisile, Jack Clark (nine points, seven rebounds, three steals, two assists), Phillip Russell (11 points, two assists) and Zeb Jackson (10 points, six rebounds, three assists) played calm in clutch time to stretch the lead back out in the final moments. 

"It was a four, five-minute segment there where we lost focus and they made a run," Shulga said. "We were up 20, then all of a sudden, we were up nine.

"But we had a timeout, we talked about it and we got it right back. We knew not to panic, just control what we can control, the effort plays on defense, the focus, minimize the breakdowns and take smart shots."

Added Jackson: "It was all the stuff that we could control. We just got lackadaisical."

Grab the board, run the floor

VCU won the rebounding battle 34-21, 7-4 offensive and 27-17 defensive.

That enabled a number of runouts which led to a 14-5 edge in fast break points. 

"That's huge for us, that's part of our identity," Jackson said — VCU is second in the A-10 in total rebounds (38.2 per game), offensive rebounds (13.1 per game) and rebounding margin (5.1).

"That's one of the things we know we can control each and every game. Being able to beat people on the glass gives us a lot of extra opportunities, and takes away their opportunities. When you can win that battle on both ends of the floor, it can be huge."

Bamgboye's offensive growth

Freshman center Luke Bamgboye, who's been elite as a shot blocker but raw offensively this year, had one of his best games in the scoring department. 

Bamgboye was 4-of-4 from the field to finish with eight points, one off his career high of nine set in the Dec. 22 win over William & Mary.

He also swatted two shots to bring his season total to a team-high 60, good for 18th nationally and second in the A-10 behind Loyola Chicago's Miles Rubin with 62. 

"We see it in practice every day, he's been doing tremendous for a freshman," Jackson said of Bamgboye's development. 

"To see him grow game-to-game, in practice each and every day in his decision making and those shots around the rim is huge. And he's super athletic, so I'm sure sooner than later a lot of those will turn into some really athletic plays."

But it wasn't just the production that stood out from Bamgboye, but more notably, how he got there. He hit a turnaround lefty hook on the low block for 57-37 with about 14 minutes to play.

Late in the first half, he displayed patience and composure in a crowded lane to spin and score through traffic for 47-31. And he had two early buckets off screen-and-rolls toward the basket. 

"How bout the lefty (hook)?," Odom said when asked about Bamgboye.

"He works every day on his game ... you have to take the proper steps within your game. And the first thing he's really impacted our program with is his defense ... he's getting more comfortable catching, finishing and making more plays around the rim."

Davidson, Bailey next up

Three games remain for VCU, and if the Rams, No. 31 in NCAA NET rankings, can win out, they should place themselves on the right side of the NCAA tournament at-large bubble regardless of their fate at the conference tournament in Washington, D.C. 

Davidson (16-12, 6-9 A-10) comes calling on Friday for a 7 p.m. tip-off at the Siegel Center in a game that will be televised nationally on ESPN2. 

The Wildcats are led by Reed Bailey, a 6-foot-10, 230-pound junior forward who leads the A-10 in scoring at 19.5 points per game.