WALKER LEADS ALL SCORERS WITH 21 POINTS, BUT VCU FALLS TO XAVIER 70-67
11-17-06
boxscore

ST. THOMAS, VIRGIN ISLANDS -Senior guard B.A. Walker (Onancock, Va./Nandua) (pictured) led all scorers with 21 points, one of four Rams in double figures, but it was not enough as Virginia Commonwealth University fell 70-67 to Xavier in the first round of the Paradise Jam at the Sports and Fitness Center on the campus of the University of Virgin Islands in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

After trailing by as many as 14 in the second half, the Rams (1-1) staged a furious comeback against the Musketeers (2-0), pulling within one in the final minute.

XU used a 12-3 run to take a 58-44 lead with nine minutes remaining in the contest. VCU still trailed 66-55 with 3:45 left before using a 12-2 run, capped by a three-pointer by senior guard Jesse Pellot-Rosa (Richmond, Va./George Wythe), to make it 68-67 with 34.9 seconds remaining. Drew Lavender made one of two free throws for XU with 17.1 seconds left to push the lead to 69-67. Pellot-Rosa missed a three-pointer with eight seconds left and XU’s Derrick Brown grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 5.6 seconds left. He missed the first but made the second to give the Musketeers a 70-67 lead. VCU could not get the equalizer on its final possession, giving Xavier the 70-67 victory.

The Musketeers built a 14-7 lead in the game’s first nine minutes. VCU used an 8-2 spurt to pull to within one at 16-15 with eight minutes remaining in the first period. XU pushed the lead back to nine at 31-22 with two minutes to go in the half before the Rams tallied the final two buckets of the period to make it 31-26 at the break. Walker had 10 of his 21 points in the first half.

“I thought our guys played extremely hard, as did Xavier,” said VCU head coach Anthony Grant. “The difference was the three-point line. They hit eight of 19. Anytime any team gets that many good looks, it’s hard to overcome. I was proud that we continued to fight. We have to learn lessons from this game and use them as we prepare to win tomorrow.”

“The game was very fast-paced,” said Walker. “We had a chance to win at the end, but the shot just didn’t fall.”

Junior guard Jamal Shuler (Jacksonville, N.C./Jacksonville) had 13 points off the bench for the Rams. Pellot-Rosa finished with 12 and junior forward Wil Fameni (Douala, Cameroon/Amelia Academy) added 11 for VCU.

Lavender paced the Musketeers with 14 points and five assists. Josh Duncan hit three treys and had 13, while Justin Cage and Stanley Burrell each added 11 for Xavier.

XU held a 36-30 advantage on the boards, including 12 offensive rebounds. Justin Doellman pulled down 10 for XU, including five on the offensive glass. Sophomore guard Eric Maynor (Fayetteville, N.C./Westover) led the Rams with six rebounds.

VCU will play in the second round of the Paradise Jam on Saturday, Nov. 18, at 8:30 p.m. EST, against the loser of the Villanova/College of Charleston contest.

First round scores:
Alabama 71, Middle Tennessee 62
Iowa 78, Toledo 65
Xavier 70, VCU 67
Villanova 81, College of Charleston 68