Rams roll; Maynor enjoys the moment

Of all the things that were celebrated during his day -- the unfurling of his retired No. 3 jersey from the Siegel Center rafters; becoming Virginia Commonwealth's all-time leading scorer; a highlight video after the game -- Eric Maynor said he will cherish one thing the most.

"Regular-season championship. No question," he said. "That other stuff [his records] will be here until somebody breaks them. But I'm trying to keep playing."

VCU held a big party in Maynor's final regular-season game. While the 6-3 senior point guard was content to let his teammates share the spotlight -- Maynor scored nine points, his second-lowest total of the season -- the Rams topped it off by routing Georgia State 69-41 before an adoring sellout crowd of 7,355.

In the process, VCU became the only team to win outright three consecutive regular-season CAA titles. The Rams (14-4, 21-9) go into next week's CAA tournament with a bye as the top seed. They will meet the winner of No. 8 Georgia State (8-10, 11-19) and the No. 9 seed, either Delaware or Towson, at noon in Saturday's quarterfinals.

As a regular-season champion, VCU is guaranteed at least a postseason spot in the National Invitation Tournament if it doesn't advance to the NCAA tournament.

Maynor commemorated the third title by parading around after the game with a boxing-style championship belt around his waist, courtesy of Rams coach Anthony Grant.

Grant whipped it out while the Rams were watching video Friday to acknowledge the accomplishment. Maynor said it had one word that he constantly relays to his teammates -- "win" -- on one side, and the three season titles on the other.

While it wasn't a typical scoring night for Maynor -- he averages 22.9 points -- he did have nine assists, pushing his school record to 651 in that category. And the Rams didn't need him to do everything.

An intense defense harried the Panthers into 21 turnovers and 33.3 percent shooting. And Maynor's supporting cast was terrific.

Sophomore forward Larry Sanders had 14 points and some high-flying blocked shots. Sophomore guard Brandon Rozzell had 13 points. Sophomore guard Joey Rodriguez had 10 points, and junior forward Kirill Pishchalnikov, who received five stitches above his right eye after taking an elbow, had eight points.

"He'd get mad at us if we just sat around and watched him," Sanders said. "That was the emphasis that Coach put on us before the game. With everything going on, we had to appreciate it. But at the same time, we had to focus on winning. Otherwise, all of this stuff turns sour."

Maynor missed his first three shots. Needing two points to break Kendrick Warren's VCU record of 1,858 points, Maynor got it with 11:22 left in the first half on one of his patented moves: charging into the lane and nailing a floater.

Maynor said the pregame ceremony, during which his jersey joined Warren's No. 23, Gerald Henderson's No. 22 and Calvin Duncan's No. 5 in the rafters, was emotional.

"My brother asked who was going to cry first, my momma or my dad," he said. "My mom got a little teary-eyed out there."

Maynor, though, said the emotion never got to him. He was more focused on leaving on a good note.

"He's so cool," Sanders said. "I was overwhelmed when I saw the jersey drop and I saw his parents. At that moment, he was in a position that every player dreams about. You've got your fans, your parents, your teammates, and then your jersey drops."