By Brian Bohl
Stifling defensive pressure, consistent shooting and aggressive rebounding enabled Hofstra to get off to a nearly perfect start against defending Colonial Athletic Association champion VCU last night. But the Pride soon discovered that a solid five-minute stretch couldn’t overcome 35 minutes of sloppy ball handling and a lackluster perimeter defense in an 82-65 defeat. With scouts from five NBA teams in attendance, the Rams displayed the capitalistic offense that propelled them to a conference title and a first round win over Duke in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Hofstra turned the ball over 22 times; wasting a nine-point first half lead in losing for the eighth time in the past 10 games.”Good teams smell blood,” Pride coach Tom Pecora said. “They are the barometer. They are the premier team in the conference by a pretty good stretch. Obviously, we weren’t in their league tonight.” Darren Townes, who recorded just two points in 24 minutes against Drexel, rebounded by hitting five of his first six field goals as the Pride (4-13, 2-6 CAA) took a 12-4 lead early in the first half. Despite another half-empty Mack Sports Complex crowd, the student section was riled up after Townes (16 points) finished with a dunk.That would be one of the last feel-good moments for the Pride. VCU’s Jamal Schuler put on a show for the scouts, pouring in a game-high 23 points, aided by his 3-8 three-point mark. Eric Maynor, the leading scorer for the Rams, also made an impression. The junior point guard added 15 points and Lance Kearse contributed 17 points off the bench as VCU (14-4, 7-1) stayed atop the CAA standings.Antoine Agudio was held to just 10 points, marking his second straight disappointing effort following his dismal six-point line against Drexel last weekend. Agudio, who missed three games with a high left ankle sprain earlier in the campaign, refused to blame health issues.”It doesn’t bother me too much,” he said. “I’m getting stronger every day. I just have to come out and play harder.”Neither freshman Charles Jenkins nor Greg Johnson could generate up enough offense from the backcourt to compensate for Agudio’s struggles. Jenkins scored 14 of his 18 points in the second half when the game was out of reach and Johnson took just six shots.”I’m just trusting my teammates a little more each game,” Agudio said about his declining shot totals. The Huntington Station native recorded just eight field goal attempts. “The guys are open. I trust my teammates. It doesn’t matter how many points I score. I just want to win the game.”Pecora said playing the first-place Rams exposed the dichotomy between a ready-made-contender and a young Pride team that continues to be a work-in-progress. The two teams could meet up again in the conference tournament in Richmond, Va. should Hofstra gel at the right time and get past the first round.”We’ve got to be good enough in six weeks to go down and beat them in their own backyard,” Pecora said. “We talked about dealing with the pressure and playing at our pace, and we committed 22 turnovers. That says it all. “They had 65 shot attempts and we had 47. That’s the game right there.”Shuler and Kearse turned a three-point deficit into a lead in just 17 seconds late in the first half. First, Shuler knocked down a three before VCU forced a turnover. That set up another three-ball from Kearse, forging a 31-28 lead that the Rams would protect the rest of the way. Hofstra’s success in the opening minutes quickly disintegrated in a haze of forced passes and lax ball security. Pecora watched his team commit five consecutive turnovers during a second-half stretch as the Rams went ahead 52-39.When not forcing mistakes, VCU also established the edge on the glass with a 37-26 rebounding advantage. Michael Anderson and Kirill Pishchalnikov each hauled down seven rebounds to help their team to 19 second-chance points.
“Our forwards and guards weren’t boxing out,” Townes said. “We weren’t hustling for the ball. Coach said contain and rebound the ball. We didn’t do that tonight.”
Added Pecora: “Rebounding and defense is 80 percent desire and 20 percent skill. It’s all about who is going to go out there and impose their will on the person they are playing against.”