Foul first half learning tool for Sanders

VCU forward Larry Sanders lumbered off the Siegel Center court early in the first half against archrival Old Dominion yesterday with his head down and his confidence severely wounded.

Sanders, saddled with two bad fouls in not quite six uneven minutes, spent the remaining 14:09 on the bench chastising himself.

Still, the Rams led the Monarchs 35-26 at halftime. But in a game of unpredictable ebbs and flows, coach Anthony Grant knew VCU was better off with Sanders on the floor than sitting within arm's reach of him.

"We are a much better team when [Sanders] is on the floor," Grant said. "He can affect the game on both ends of the floor."

Sanders knew it, too, especially with all-CAA guard Eric Maynor trying to survive a rare shooting slump -- 7 of 19, including 0 of 5 on 3-point attempts.

Sanders, limited to five points in the first 20 minutes, redeemed himself in the second half. He played all but two minutes, and finished with a game-high 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting in leading the Rams to a 61-44 victory.

"I was trying to get my teammates pumped on the sidelines," said Sanders, who added six rebounds and three steals. "When I got back into the game, I had to be ready and not let the fouls bother me."

Sanders, getting help from his frontcourt mates -- Kirill Pishchalnikov, Terrance Saintil and Lance Kearse -- had his mind in the right place on both ends of the floor. He sparked a VCU run that enabled the Rams to take a 47-32 lead midway through the second half.

"We doubled some and we didn't give them a lot of looks in the post," said Sanders, who had four double-double performances in the previous six games. "We put a lot of pressure on them."

More importantly, Sanders frustrated ODU's big men, forwards Gerald Lee and Keyon Carter, helping check them to a combined 5-of-20 shooting. His defensive pressure forced ODU coach Blaine Taylor to pull Lee from the paint simply to find a shot.

"I thought Sanders played a real nice second half," Taylor said. "He's longer than a leap year. I don't know what his wing span is. He's got a little extra length to him."

Sanders fashioned an extra effort in the second half. He demanded the ball, and went confidently to the basket, making 5 of 7 shots in scoring 11 points.

"In the first half, they hurt us with some interior baskets," Grant said. "We tried to limit what they were getting [inside].

"Larry is able to impact the game in a variety of ways. His presence on the floor really impacts our team," Grant added. "The more confident he gets, the better he understands how to keep himself on the floor."

Sanders, a 6-10 sophomore, still is learning to play the game physically and mentally. He made significant strides mentally in dominating the Monarchs in the second half.

"I'm learning to stay on the floor a little bit more now," said Sanders, who had 16 points in an 81-70 loss to then-No.4 Oklahoma last month. "I've been trying to push myself to do better on the offensive end."

Sanders was at his very best in the second half as the Rams pulled away from ODU for their fifth consecutive victory.