RICHMOND, Va. – Two-time conference Player of the Year Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C.) scored 18 points and freshman Bradford Burgess (Midlothian, Va.) added 11 in second half alone in Virginia Commonwealth University’s 61-52 victory over Georgia State Saturday in the CAA quarterfinals at the Richmond Coliseum.
With the victory, top-seeded VCU (22-9) advances to Sunday’s 3 p.m. semifinal contest against either Hofstra or Old Dominion.The victory is the Rams’ 10th straight over the Panthers and the third this season.
Maynor, who also handed out four assists, knocked down 7-of-11 attempts for the Rams, who shot .548 (23-of-42) in the game.
Burgess did not attempt a field goal in the first half, but hit all four of his tries in the second period. The CAA All-Rookie selection hit all three of his 3-pointers, including back-to-back treys at the start of the first half to push VCU’s lead to 30-17.
The Rams knocked down 8-of-9 3-pointers in the second half.
Sophomore Brandon Rozzell (Richmond, Va.) chipped in with 12 points and two steals for the Rams, who advanced to the semifinal round for the fifth time in six seasons.
Joe Dukes led all scorers with 24 points and six rebounds for the Panthers (12-20).
VCU suffered through one 10-minute stretch in the first half where it made just one field goal. Despite their offensive struggles, the Rams managed to hold an 18-15 lead with 3:40 left.
Led by its full-court press, VCU got back-to-back dunks from sophomore Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla.) and Rozzell. A short time later, Sanders slammed home a Rozzell miss just prior to the halftime buzzer to give the Rams a 24-15 halftime lead.
“I told the guys after the game, that we didn’t play our best, but what we want to do at the end of the day is win,†VCU Head Coach Anthony Grant said. “That’s what it comes down to this time of year and we were fortunate to do that.â€Â
