There's a question the members of the Virginia Commonwealth University basketball team will no doubt mull while they study for exams during the next week:
Why have the Rams suddenly become turtles off the starting line?
"Good question," VCU coach Shaka Smart said. "That's something I'm going to need to figure out."
VCU has fallen behind by large margins in the first half of its past four games. The Rams continued that trend by tumbling into the basketball equivalent of the Grand Canyon against Richmond on Saturday night in a 72-60 loss.
VCU missed its first nine shots. Some of those were impatient, forced shots as the Rams tried to solve UR's sticky matchup zone. Some were open shots.
The Rams didn't get their first basket until Bradford Burgess scored inside and was fouled at the 11:16 mark. They didn't get their second until 7:35 remained.
By that time, VCU was behind 20-7 — and it got worse. The Spiders opened a 40-17 lead by halftime, essentially putting an emphatic end to a six-game losing streak in the series.
"I still haven't figured it out," said VCU point guard Joey Rodriguez, who was 1 for 10 from the floor. "It's something we're definitely going to have to change. Whether it's changing lineups, or changing our approach, we've got to do something about it."
Said Burgess: "I don't know what to say about it. It's something we have to work on immediately, or it's going to be trouble.
"We have a week to think about what we're going to do as a team. It does hurt for the local guys and the seniors. It should hurt for everybody."
The Rams' troubles were not confined to the offensive end. Smart suggested the inability to score carried over to the defensive end.
UR got good looks and crisp passing throughout the game, shooting 53.1 percent in the first half and 58.8 percent in the second. At one point early in the second half, the Spiders sported a 30-point bulge.
"The last time I was down 30 was when I was in AAU, like sixth grade," Rodriguez said. "It hurt. It was embarrassing."
Only some desperation play in the second half allowed the Rams to put a dent in the deficit. VCU shot 26.2 percent (6 of 23) in the first half, 56.3 percent in the second (18 of 32). Still, it managed to make only 1 of 14 3-pointers.
"I don't want to get it out of our system right now," Smart said. "I want to learn from it. I want to stew on it a little bit, and I want the players to as well. This isn't a type of result we're used to, nor do we want to get used to."
NOTE: VCU senior guard Brandon Rozzell injured his hamstring after being fouled while picking up a loose ball late in the first half. He did not return.
tpearrell@timesdispatch.com
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