http://www.timesdispatch.com/rtd/sports/college/college_basketball/article/RAMS18_20090117-220510/181314/
During one stretch of the second half yesterday, Eric Maynor sat on the VCU bench rooting on his teammates as they tried to protect an 11-point lead against archrival Old Dominion.
Protect? Brandon Rozzell drove into the lane and knocked down a 12-footer. Larry Sanders hit a baseline jumper. Rozzell followed with an 18-footer. Kirill Pishchalnikov lofted in a hook shot.
The Rams not only produced a blowout in their 61-44 Colonial Athletic Association victory in front of a delighted sellout crowd of 7,567 at the Siegel Center, they showed they can stand without the Maynor crutch.
"I thought we put together 40 minutes of outstanding basketball," VCU coach Anthony Grant said. "We got great performances from everybody today."
Maynor, a senior point guard and All-America candidate, was merely mortal shooting the ball. He was 7 of 19 from the floor -- 0 for 5 on 3-pointers -- but still scored 14 points and found other ways to impact the game with nine assists and zero turnovers.
No matter. His supporting cast was more than capable as the Rams (6-1, 13-5) held ODU (3-4, 10-7) to 18 second-half points, won their fifth consecutive game and moved into a tie for second place in the conference behind George Mason.
Sanders, a 6-10 sophomore forward, scored 16 points. He had 11 in the second half behind an array of spectacular dunks and some jumpers.
Rozzell, a sophomore guard from Highland Springs, had perhaps his finest all-around game, notching a career-high 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting. Freshman forward Terrance Saintil played a terrific defensive game and had six points and three rebounds in his longest court time of the season (18 minutes).
"We played a lot as freshmen," Rozzell said. "Offensively, it's not as hard as it was last year without Eric on the court."
A couple of fourand five-point swings and hustle plays helped VCU own a game that featured few turnovers (five by VCU, 10 by ODU), few free throws (4 of 8 by VCU, 2 of 4 by ODU), and miserable 3-point shooting (3 of 18 by VCU, 2 of 11 by ODU).
The Monarchs were holding for the last shot and trying to cut into a six-point lead at the end of the first half. But Keyon Carter took an ill-advised shot with 12 seconds left that missed.
The Rams hurried down court and Maynor found Rozzell open in front of the Monarchs' bench. His 3-pointer with 2 seconds left sent the Rams to locker room with a 35-26 lead.
"Playing with somebody that good, a legend, is a blessing," Rozzell said of Maynor.
Then there was the athletic play Pishchalnikov made in the second half. On an inbounds pass intended for 6-10 Gerald Lee, the 6-8 Pishchalnikov went high to tip the ball past halfcourt. He was able to save it from going out of bounds and somehow shovel a pass to Maynor, who stepped over a fallen Lee and got an easy layup.
Old Dominion, shooting 34.5 percent for the game, matched its lowest point total in the 77 games of the series. The Monarchs lost 61-44 on Dec. 30, 1980.
"Obviously disappointed," ODU coach Blaine Taylor said. "We'd like to put on a little better show. We looked like a young team on a big stage."
Contact Tim Pearrell at (804) 649-6965 or tpearrell@timesdispatch.com .