VCU stops Delaware, takes CAA lead

SLIDESHOW: VCU 78 DELAWARE 67

With about 12 minutes to play and Virginia Commonwealth fighting for its life, Joey Rodriguez sidled up to Eric Maynor with a message.

"He was like, 'Northeastern is down five. Come on, man, we've got to pick it up,'" Maynor said.

Maynor already was in the process of doing just that. A 3-pointer broke a tie. A basket after knifing into the lane got the Rams within one after they fell behind. A three-point play put them ahead to stay.

By the time Maynor finished doing his thing -- he had 21 of his 30 points in the second half and finished with 10 assists and one turnover -- the Rams had pulled away for a hard-fought 78-67 victory over Delaware and taken sole possession of first place in the Colonial Athletic Association.

Northeastern went on to lose to Georgia State and fell into a tie for second with George Mason at 11-5. VCU (12-4, 19-8) needs to beat James Madison and Georgia State next week to wrap up its third consecutive regular-season title.

"It's meant to be for us," Maynor said. "That's what I think. It's right here in our hands. We've just got to go take it."

This one had the potential to be another missed opportunity. Getting easy shots outside and inside and not missing, the Blue Hens (5-11, 11-17) shredded VCU's defense and opened an 11-point lead in the first half.

The Rams, who shot almost as well, cut it to two by halftime. Maynor said the team talked about getting a sense of urgency in the second half.

It showed. Delaware cooled off and shot 29 percent after intermission. The Hens had just two field goals and three free throws in the final 9 minutes as the Rams' defense stiffened.

Maynor, meanwhile, poured in 18 points during a 27-13 run as the Rams took control.

"Probably the biggest factor why I'm sitting here as the losing coach is Eric Maynor," Delaware coach Monte Ross said. "They have him, and we don't."

Maynor also had help. In an 81-79 loss at Delaware in early January, the 6-3 senior pretty much carried the Rams by himself with 28 points. This time, 6-10 Larry Sanders and 6-8 Kirill Pishchalnikov pitched in and took advantage of the smaller Hens inside. Sanders had 19 points, 16 rebounds and three blocked shots. Pishchalnikov added 11 points.

"The thing I'm trying to get them to understand is they can do this every game," Maynor said. "I don't have to go out there and score 30 to give us a chance to win."

Maynor now has six 30-point games this season. He also has two double-digit assist games.

He joked afterward about Rodriguez's message, calling him the "rug rat on our team who goes and asks people about the score. He's focused on the game, but he's just trying to get us going even more."

Maynor had that under control last night.