VCU shakes malaise, pulls away from Hampton 63-52

HAMPTON -- It wasn't exactly Tylenol-free, but Virginia Commonwealth was able to avoid an Oklahoma hangover last night.

Two days after whipping the 17th-ranked Sooners, the Rams had to work to overcome impatient shooting, sloppy turnovers and some malaise to shake off Hampton 63-52.

"It certainly wasn't the prettiest of victories," VCU coach Shaka Smart said, "but it was a 'W.'"

The Rams (3-1), who had lost four of their past five road games dating to last season, were able to avoid another road headache with a pair of second-half spurts.

Ahead 29-25 a minute into the half, VCU gained control with a 10-2 run. After Hampton cut its deficit to 48-43 with six minutes left, Bradford Burgess nailed a 3-pointer that kick-started a 7-0 spree that restored the 12-point margin.

Burgess had 18 points and 10 rebounds. Larry Sanders had 11 points and Joey Rodriguez added 10. T.J. Gwynn had nine points and 11 rebounds.

The Rams were 20 of 55 (36.4 percent) from the floor, including 6 of 24 on 3-pointers. They hit only 17 of 28 free throws (60.7 percent) and committed 15 turnovers.

Hampton (0-3) helped by going 22 of 62 from the floor, including 2 of 16 on treys. The Pirates made only 6 of 16 free throws.

VCU struggled mightily in the first half, misfiring on shot after shot, playing out of control at times and being unable to keep its big men, the 6-11 Sanders and 6-8 Kirill Pishchalnikov, on the floor for long stretches once again.

The Rams hit just 8 of 27 shots. They were 2 of 12 from behind the 3-point line against Hampton's 3-2 zone and had nine turnovers, with several coming during wild flurries when neither team held onto the ball.

Pishchalnikov and Sanders picked up their second fouls 16 seconds apart with more than eight minutes to go in the first half. Both went to the bench Pishchalnikov made a brief appearance leaving VCU with a lineup where the 6-5 Burgess was the tallest Ram on the court.

The Rams were able to take a 28-19 lead into halftime only because of Hampton's poor shooting and a 6-0 spurt near the end of the half.

The Pirates were 8 of 29 from the floor, 0 for 7 on 3-pointers and 3 for 11 at the foul line.

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Note: The Rams continued to receive some consideration in The Associated Press Top 25 poll. VCU got two votes last week and one this week.