Terriers crumble in 2nd half at VCU
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BLOCK PARTY: BU's Jeff Pelage rejects a shot by VCU's Ed Nixon last night in Richmond, Va.
PUBLISHED: March 24, 2010 at 12:00 a.m. | UPDATED: November 18, 2018 at 12:00 a.m.
The Boston University men's basketball team enjoyed a strong first half last night, but the Terriers discovered in the second half how truly tough it is to win on Virginia Commonwealth's home court this season.
Bradford Burgess scored 20 points and host VCU advanced to the championship series of the College Basketball Invitational by beating the Terriers, 88-75, in Richmnod, Va.
Larry Sanders added 18 points, eight rebounds and three blocks for the Rams (25-9), who took control with a 9-0 spurt to start the second half.
"In the second half, we forced them to our tempo," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "It's enjoyable to still be playing. . . . An opportunity to get better."
The Rams will play Saint Louis in the best-of-3 championship round beginning Monday. The Billekens beat Princeton, 69-59, in last night's other semifinal.
Joey Rodriguez had 19 points and five assists, joining Eric Maynor as the only VCU players to accumulate 200 assists in a season. The Rams have beaten eight 20-win teams this season, and only lost once at home all year.
Jake O'Brien led the Terriers with 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting, and added eight rebounds and two steals. John Holland had 16 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks, while Tyler Morris hit 3-of-5 from 3-point land en route to 16 at halftime. Tyler Morris and John Holland added 16 apiece.
BU missed its first six field-goal attempts in the second half as the Rams opened with a 21-8 run. They built a 15-point cushion and never trailed again.
"They picked up their intensity," first-year BU coach Patrick Chambers said. "VCU is very talented and deep."
VCU's pressing defense forced 17 turnovers.
"They pressed in the first half and we handled it, but they wore us down," Chambers said. "They knew we only play seven people."
There were four ties and 14 lead changes in the first half, and neither team led by more than five points. Holland sent BU into the locker room with a 43-42 lead by hitting a 3-pointer.
Rhode Island 79, Virginia Tech 72 – Delroy James scored 18 points and Lamonte Ulmer added 13, including a big basket in the final seconds, to lead the Rams past the Hokies in an NIT quarterfinal in Blacksburg, Va.
The No. 2-seeded Rams (26-9) advanced to the NIT semifinals for the first time since 1946. They'll play defending national champion North Carolina on Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden.
"I'm just so excited for our players and everyone involved," Rhode Island coach Jim Baron said. "You know, you're right there on the bubble of the NCAA tournament and you beat a Big Ten team and a Western Athletic Conference and then an ACC team. Our kids showed a tremendous amount of will power to sustain and I'm really happy for them. This is a great win for us and our program."
URI took the lead for good at 73-71 on a jumper by Keith Cothran with 2 minutes left.
James, who scored a career-high 34 points in Rhode Island's second-round win over Nevada, shot 7-of-18 from the floor. He also blocked four shots and grabbed six rebounds.
Malcolm Delaney had 24 points for the top-seeded Hokies (25-9), while Dorenzo Hudson added 19.
Dayton 77, Illinois 71 – With Chris Johnson posting 18 points and seven rebounds, and the defense holding the host Fighting Illini to just 37.7 percent shooting in their own gym, the Flyers advanced to Madison Square Garden with a win in Champaign, Ill.
Dayton (23-12) jumped out quickly and held a 38-25 lead at the break. Illinois (21-15) threatened in the second half but couldn't fully recover. Demetri McCarney's 13 points were best for the Illini.
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