One shot was all there was time for. Virginia Commonwealth junior guard Treveon Graham corralled a pass from fellow guard Rob Brandenburg and heaved a desperation 3-pointer from what seemed to be 30 feet out. He sunk it, and broke a 56-56 tie with just 1.4 seconds left on the clock.
In a game as close as Tuesday night’s, that one shot was all that was needed to steal a win. Embroiled in a physical, back-and-forth game, both No. 25 Virginia (1-1) and No. 14 VCU (2-0) tried to impose their system on each other and gain an advantage, but it was the Rams who proved to be most successful in the end, winning 59-56.
“It was an intense game and an intense setting,” coach Tony Bennett said. “I’ll say this out of respect for [VCU coach] Shaka [Smart]. It stings to lose, but when you lose to someone that you respect and that is a friend of yours, it is a little easier. They do things the right way. Our program does things the right way, and I can stomach it.”
The match featured radically divergent styles — VCU is known for its high-energy, swarming play, Virginia for its deliberate, suffocating system. Early on, it looked as though the Cavaliers were successfully bringing the game to the pace they wanted. The teams combined for just 24 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, and Virginia did not seemed particularly rattled by VCU’s “Havoc” defense.
“I thought it was going to be worse,” freshman point guard London Perrantes said. “Practice got us ready for it. We played against eight managers during practice, doing things like that to get ready for it.”
After having just five points in Virginia’s opening game against James Madison, senior guard Joe Harris played a much bigger role against VCU, scoring 12 points in the first half alone. He had the Cavaliers’ only made 3-pointer of the game and led the team in scoring with 18 points overall. At times he seemed able to score at will, helping Virginia to a 26-24 halftime lead.
“I thought we prepared really well,” Harris said. “For the most part, even though there were some turnovers, I thought we did a good job controlling tempo. We didn’t give up a lot of transition points. There were a few breakdowns there, but I felt like we did a good job with the press.”
Both teams were plagued by fouls throughout the game, combining for 48 whistles in the game. Sophomore forward Anthony Gill and sophomore guard Justin Anderson each picked up two early fouls and saw limited action for the rest of the game, playing just 16 and 21 minutes, respectively.
Sophomore center Mike Tobey was called for three fouls in the game, and played a mere 11 minutes. Virginia did not lose too much production from Tobey’s absence, however, as junior forward Darion Atkins posted eight points, eight rebounds and two blocks playing in his stead. Bennett says he was happy enough with Atkins’ play that he did not feel he needed to risk Tobey picking up more fouls.
“I thought Darion was so active and so quick and he could get stops,” Bennett said. “He gave us a great lift, whether it was blocking shots or what. Again, sometimes our defense wasn’t great. They’re going downhill and having a guy that is so quick off the floor that can bother shots was our last line of defense and he helped us a lot with that. And again, he got some offensive rebounds and things like that and kept things alive for us.”
Virginia seemed poised to benefit from the physical game, heading to the charity stripe 33 times in the game. The Cavaliers could do little to take advantage, though, making just 19 of their attempts — 57 percent. VCU was just 6-for-15 on free throws, and neither team could pull away.
Leading 53-49 with four minutes left in the game, the normally sure-handed Harris went to the line with the opportunity to put the Cavaliers up six points, but instead missed both free throws. Atkins would hit a jumper to give Virginia a 55-49 lead with 2:52 on the clock, but VCU stormed back to take a 56-55 lead on a Graham layup with 1:17 left.
“We had a chance at the line — up four with Joe at the line with two shots,” Bennett said. “I look at our free throws and that certainly stings.”
Virginia tied the game on a free throw from redshirt sophomore guard Malcolm Brogdon with 10 seconds on the clock, but the Rams advanced the ball up the court for their last possession. The Cavaliers did their best to limit shot opportunities, but Graham was able to make the one shot available to go up 59-56 with less than two seconds left.
“We tried to switch the defense,” Bennett said. “It was pretty well defended and it was an NBA three, so maybe that is all you can ask for. We may have been able to meet him a little sooner, but there was a lot of action going on and he stepped up and made it.”
Anderson missed a potential game-tying shot from distance as time expired, and the Rams came away with the win. Even having lost in dramatic fashion, the players saw it as a learning experience rather than a devastating blow.
“It’s definitely going to help us,” Brogdon said. “I think this loss is going to end up being a blessing. Even though we started the year ranked, we need to not get too high on ourselves, take it down a notch and work harder in practice. We won’t play another team that plays at a faster tempo, so we’ll be ready for any kind of pace a team tries to play against us.”
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