It probably wasn’t the exact happy ending they were looking for, but VCU was still able to leave South Carolina winners as the Rams rallied from a 12-point deficit to defeat former Sunbelt rival Western Kentucky, 69-64 in the 7th place game of this year’s Charleston Classic.
Having watched a 9-point halftime lead turn into a 13-point loss just two days prior, the black-and-gold once again found themselves down after leading at the half, this time however battling back with just 8 minutes to play, and scoring 7 unanswered points in a matter of 39 seconds to get back in the game.
Darius Theus tied the game with 4 unanswered points, then after exchanging 3-point makes, Bradford Burgess was able to give the Rams the lead for good after hitting two free throws with just over a minute left to play.
Troy Daniels and Briante Weber were then able to ice the game at the free throw line.
Rob Brandenberg was a much needed offensive spark for the Rams in the win, scoring a game-high 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting.
The sophomore guards length and quickness were big on both ends of the floor, as the Ohio native added two offensive rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in the win.
Like Brandenberg, Darius Theus helped to carry the Rams in the win, getting to the hoop for 12 points and hitting five of his seven attempts from the field. Theus lead the Rams with five assists on the afternoon.
The Rams move to 2-2 on the season, and will quickly prepare for that very same Western Kentucky team, this time in a true road game this Wednesday in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
