Maynor magic

There are players who shy away from taking game-deciding shots. And then there's Eric Maynor.

Virginia Commonwealth University's superlative senior point guard lives for those times. He has made so many during his career that they have become known as Maynor Moments.

Another one presented itself yesterday in an electric atmosphere at the sold-out Siegel Center. And Maynor did what he always seems to do, making a momentum-changing basket and more clutch plays that kept the Rams atop the Colonial Athletic Association with a 76-71 victory over George Mason.

With four minutes left, the Patriots (7-2, 14-5) had the Rams (8-1, 15-5) reeling. A 15-point second-half lead was down to one. And Maynor dribbled off a high screen on the wing and restored order by calmly nailing a 3-pointer.

"That's the killer instinct in me," he said. "That heart in me, the will to win. If I miss that shot, I'm able to tell my teammates that's my fault. I'll take the blame for that."

A 25-foot, rainbow 3-pointer by freshman Bradford Burgess -- this one with the shot clock at about 3 seconds -- gave VCU a 71-64 pad. Maynor helped the Rams maintain control with five more points.

He scored eight of his 28 points in the final four minutes. That was after not scoring in the first 13 minutes.

"He has the ability to elevate his game at any moment," George Mason coach Jim Larranaga said. "We told the team at the timeout just before he hit the 3, 'This is normally when he tries to take over. We can not give him a shot.' Of course, he makes the 3, then he makes I don't know how many free throws."

That was the final spurt in a game that had plenty. VCU took a 10-3 lead, fell behind 21-14, then roared back to take a 39-32 lead at halftime.

Mason, with senior guard John Vaughan (concussion) on the bench in a warmup suit, stayed in the game with offensive rebounds (18 total) but had trouble with VCU's pressure at two key junctures.

One got the Rams back in the game in the first half; the other fueled a spree that gave VCU a 15-point lead at the 15:23 mark of the second half.

Cam Long (24 points) led a Mason comeback as VCU struggled against the Patriots' zone. Mason chipped away until it pulled to 65-64 on Darryl Monroe's basket with 4:24 left.

Then Maynor did his thing.

"I was going to try to get me a good shot because I knew we were struggling," he said. "I saw them lay off [on the screen], so I said, 'This is my chance right here.' I was just trying to pick my spots.

"I don't predetermine how I play. I don't come down and say I've got to shoot. I just took what the defense gave me."

Larry Sanders had 15 points and seven rebounds. Kirill Pishchalnikov added 11 for VCU, which made its first 14 free throws. Dre Smith had 16 points for Mason, which was 8 of 16 on 3-pointers.

Maynor had one turnover -- the Rams had only seven -- and finished with six assists, becoming the school's all-time leader. VCU coach Anthony Grant clapped for him in the postgame press conference.

"There's no doubt," Grant said, "that when the game's on the line, Eric's always more than willing to step up and make plays."

Contact Tim Pearrell at (804) 649-6965 or tpearrell@timesdispatch.com .