MAYNOR SCORES 22 AS RAMS SURVIVE AGAINST TIGERS 85-77
VCU takes over sole possession of first place in CAA
1-13-07
boxscore

RICHMOND, Va. – Virginia Commonwealth University had four players in double figures, led by sophomore guard Eric Maynor’s (Fayetteville, N.C./Westover) team-high 22 points, to claim an 85-77 victory over Towson University in Colonial Athletic Association action Saturday night at the Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.  With the win, VCU remains unbeaten in CAA-play, improving to 6-0 on the season.

VCU started the game with a 12-3 lead in the first 8:39 of the contest and watched its lead grow to 13 points at the 10:10 mark following a 17-5 run.  The Rams held an 18-point advantage, their largest lead of the game, at 32-14 on a jumper by Maynor with 4:41 remaining in the period.  Towson would use a 12-7 run in the final four minutes of the half to cut the Rams’ lead to 13 points as VCU took a 39-26 advantage into the locker room.  Junior guard Jamal Shuler (Jacksonville, N.C./Jacksonville) scored 11 of his 16 points in the first half.

Through the first four minutes of the second half, Towson, who shot 57.6% from the field in the second period, used a 12-4 run to cut VCU’s lead to five points at 43-38 but the Rams would go on a 17-10 spurt to pull ahead by 12 points with 12:15 to go.  Trailing 69-56 with 10:01 remaining, the Tigers used a 12-2 run to get within three points at 71-68 but it was as close as Towson would get as VCU, who was held without a field goal for the final 7:34, scored 12 points from the charity stripe to finish the game.  After making just 4 of 11 free throws (36.4%) in the first half, VCU hit 24 of 27 (88.9%) in the second half.

Senior guard Jesse Pellot-Rosa (Richmond, Va./George Wythe) finished with 16 points and a game-high seven rebounds for the Rams, while senior guard B.A. Walker (Onancock, Va./Nandua) added 12 points.

Neal, who had 11 first-half points, led Towson with a game-high 33 as he shot 12 of 19 from the field.  Senior forward Winston Tubbs (Marietta, Ga./Marietta) scored 12 points off the bench for the Tigers, while senior forward Dennard Abraham (Watertown, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) chipped in 10 points.

VCU, under the direction of first-year head coach Anthony Grant, returns to CAA action on Wednesday, Jan. 17, with a 7:30 p.m. contest against UNC Wilmington at the Alltel Pavilion at the Stuart C. Siegel Center.