Senior Day had a tremendous amount of buzz besides celebrating Mo Alie-Cox, Doug Brooks, Jordan Burgess, Torey Burston and JeQuan Lewis on Saturday. VCU hosted George Mason inside the Siegel Center where VCU could lock up the #2 seed for the A-10 Tournament with a victory. For one final time this season, the Rams handled business at the Siegel Center.
Burgess vs. George Mason
Senior Day at the Siegel Center was taken over by one lone senior at the start. Jordan Burgess got VCU going on the scoreboard with 7 straight points. As Burgess single-handedly outscored the Patriots, Justin Tillman kept the Animal buzzing off of a thunderous alley-oop jam.
George Mason had a few difficulties thanks to HAVOC. Defensively the Rams kept the Patriots grounded for nearly 5 minutes without a basket. Turnovers became a concern for George Mason as the Patriots committed 11 first half turnovers.
HAVOC: Senior Edition
While HAVOC dealt with the Patriots, more Rams jumped into the fray offensively. Tillman made the most damage from the paint with 10 points on 5-of-6 shooting in the first half. Burgess was able to score 9 points during his 11-minute shift; VCU had 8 different Rams score a basket before half-time.
The Patriots still battled until the half-time buzzer. George Mason was able to outrebound the Rams 22-15 but struggled shooting 37% from the field. Mason also went 0-of-6 from behind the three-point spot.
Ram fans were excited to see De’Riante Jenkins return to the home court after his foot injury. Jenkins looked pretty good going up and down the court while also scoring a basket for the Rams. At half-time, VCU rolled into the locker room with a 35-25 lead over George Mason.
2nd Half SlamBall
There was more HAVOC on the hardwood as the 2nd half got underway. Tillman attacked the rim repeatedly and was rewarded with an And-1 and a thunderous two-handed slam. The slams kept coming for VCU as Mo Alie-Cox got to the basket and finished powerfully.
Even with VCU putting a hurt on the rim, George Mason battled back. Marquise Moore led the Patriots with 17 points as the deficit was cut down to 3 points. Otis Livingston managed to score 11 points and led the team with 4 assists.
A “Don’t Blink” Kind Of VCU Run
With the Patriots gunning for the Rams, VCU had an answer with an 8-0 scoring run. Jonathan Williams started things off with a physical And-1 layup followed by Tillman collecting an offensive board and 2nd chance bucket.
Siegel Center got even louder as Glaze connected on another contact layup for his 2nd And-1 opportunity. Burgess sweetened the deal from mid-range to put the Rams up 52-41 in the matter of 1:49.
Locking Up The #2 Seed
As time winded down, VCU kept establishing dominance over George Mason. Rams were able to outscore the Patriots 32-22; Tillman led the charge and VCU with another double-double performance of 24 points and 11 rebounds.
VCU racked up a season-high 54 points inside the painted square. Jordan Burgess led the Senior class with 11 points and Jonathan Williams added 10 points. HAVOC came to play as VCU forced 16 GMU turnovers along with 5 steals for the Black & Gold.
JeQuan Lewis only scored a point from the free throw line but the senior guard dished out 9 assists on the night. There were contributions from everyone in a VCU uniform as the Rams to care of business versus George Mason with a 72-60 win on Senior Day.
VCU Men’s Basketball has locked up the #2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball tournament. The Rams will have a double-round bye for the tournament up in Pittsburgh.
The Atlantic 10 Men’s Basketball tournament begins on Wednesday, March 6th in the PPG Paints Arena. VCU will be in action in the A-10 Quarterfinals on Friday, March 10th at 6 PM.
