UMass was only able to handle so much of VCU’s relentless defensive pressure Saturday night.
The Minutemen were able to hang around in the first half through a combination of timely shooting and the Rams missing free throws. However, the second 20 minutes were far less kinder to the Minutemen, and they no longer could keep up with the suffocating Rams.
UMass made just 1 of 12 3-pointers in the second half in a desperate attempt to rally as VCU pulled away for a comfortable 68-50 win in Richmond, Virginia.
It didn’t take long for VCU to start to turn on the jets in the second half. The Rams responded to a Luwane Pipkins 3-pointer to begin the stanza with a 7-0 run, starting a trend where VCU answered every UMass bid to stay competitive with a stronger push to extend the lead. Eventually though, the Minutemen didn’t offer much pushback against the Rams and wilted under the defensive pressure.
The Minutemen (7-11, 0-5 Atlantic 10) lost all sense of offensive rhythm for large parts of the second half and several times threw passes away because of miscommunications. After cutting the deficit to six points with 11:25 left, UMass made three more shots the rest of the game. The rough patch included a six-minute stretch in which VCU went on a 11-2 run between UMass field goals that increased the lead to 18 points.
Pipkins led the charge with 14 points and eight rebounds as the only UMass player to reach 30 minutes of playing time. Curtis Cobb added 10 points, eight of which came in a disjointed first half for the Minutemen, who were saddled by foul trouble. Six different UMass players had two fouls in the first half and the Minutemen sent the Rams to the line for 20 free throws.
Fortunately for UMass, though, VCU (13-5, 4-1 A-10) only made 13 of them and that opened the door for the Minutemen to stick around in the game. UMass took advantage of that opportunity by hitting 4 of 9 from behind the arc to stay within four at halftime.
The second half was a different story, however. VCU combined an 11 of 12 performance from the line with efficient offense to pull away from UMass for good. The Rams made six of their final nine shots in the game, including a few with a hand in their face to squash any hopes UMass had of a late comeback.