RICHMOND, Va. – Senior Eric Maynor (Raeford, N.C.) scored a game-high 23 points to spark Virginia Commonwealth University to a 61-53 win over rival-Old Dominion in a Colonial Athletic Association semifinal game Sunday at the Richmond Coliseum.
The victory sends the Rams (23-9) to the CAA Championship game Monday at 7 p.m. VCU will meet the winner of Sunday’s other semifinal between George Mason and Towson. VCU has played in five previous CAA title games, winning three. It last won the title in 2007.
Maynor, the CAA’s Player of the Year the last two seasons, scored 13 of his points in the second half. Sophomore Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla.) provided his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds for VCU.
Frank Hassell led Old Dominion (21-10) with 14 points and six rebounds. Gerald Lee, the Monarch’s leading scorer and a First Team All-CAA pick, was held to five points on 1-of-7 shooting.
VCU limited ODU to 25-percent shooting (6-of-24) in the second half and just 32 percent overall. The Monarchs were just 1-of-9 from 3-point range on the day.
Maynor and freshman Bradford Burgess (Midlothian, Va.) both hit 3-pointers during a sequence late in the second half that pushed the Black and Gold to a 53-44 advantage with 4:43 left. Old Dominion never recovered.
ODU got off to a quick start, charging to a 23-13 lead behind 10 points from Hassell. At one point in the first half, the Monarchs held a 14-4 rebounding edge. But Maynor scored 10 points during a 12-1 VCU blitz to give the Rams a 25-24 lead.
Old Dominion would take a 28-27 lead into the locker room, following a Marsharee Neely three-point play.
VCU played both George Mason and Towson once this season, winning both games.
