Burgess scores 31 points, Rams force 20 turnovers in 89-77 win
It was extremely loud and not very close.
That sums up George Mason’s nightmare of a trip to Virginia Commonwealth Saturday night in Richmond. Rattled by the suffocating defense of the Rams and the din of the 15th straight sellout crowd at Siegel Center, the Patriots committed 20 turnovers and never led, buckling under relentless pressure in an 89-77 loss before 7,617.
While VCU (25-6, 15-3) clinched the No. 2 seed in the CAA tournament, GMU (23-8, 14-4) tumbled to No. 3, five days after holding sole possession of first place. For the Rams it was payback for a 62-61 Valentine’s Day loss at George Mason where Sherrod Wright hit a desperation 25-footer at the buzzer after VCU had led most of the game.
“It was something at the front of our guys’ minds without saying a word,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said.
Bradford Burgess (career high 31 points), who was honored before and after on Senior Day, and junior Troy Daniels (17 points) were the offensive catalysts, hitting five three-pointers each as the Rams shot 11 for 28 (39.3 percent) from beyond the arc.
“It was the Bradford Burgess show. He was phenomenal,” Smart said. “He was reasons one, two, and three why we won.”
Sophomore Juvonte Reddick (18 points, 11 rebounds, three steals), freshman Birante Weber (five points, four steals, four assists), and junior Darius Theus (seven points, seven assists, three steals) fueled the Rams defense.
“They played well. I’m not going to take anything away from them,” Mason coach Paul Hewitt said.
It could have been worse for Mason. The Patriots got 24 points and nine rebounds from senior Ryan Pearson and hit 53.1 percent of their shots. But their inability to deal with the nation’s most turnover-producing defense was the difference. In its last seven games, GMU has committed 127 turnovers.
“The stat that stands out is their 22 points off turnovers,” Hewitt said. “It’s very tough to win in that situation.”
GMU lost its cool in the second half as sophomore Vertrail Vaughns lassoed Burgess on a breakaway and tossed him to the floor, drawing an intentional foul. Later, Pearson and Mike Morrison were charged with technicals.
Now Mason faces the unenviable task of returning to Richmond next weekend for the CAA tournament and a likely semifinal match-up with VCU. The Rams have won all five times the teams have met in the Richmond Coliseum, including last year in the semifinals, when GMU was riding a 16-game winning streak. The Rams won that one 79-63, knocking the Patriots out of the tournament for the third straight year.
On Saturday, VCU threw three haymakers at GMU in the first half. The first came as the Rams hit three-pointers on three straight possessions – two by Daniels and another by Burgess – to grab a 16-7 lead.
The Patriots fought back with nine straight points to tie it, but the Rams retaliated with a full-court zone press which produced three quick turnovers and a 12-0 run in a span of 94 seconds. Burgess started it with a three-pointer and a layup, Daniels hit a three, Reddick made a slam-dunk, and freshman Treveon Graham (St. Mary’s Ryken) finished it with a fast-break layup to put VCU up 28-16.
The Rams third burst came late in the half. The 12-2 dash included three-pointers by Graham (six points) and Burgess, and was finished off by Theus with a steal and a breakaway layup, which gave VCU its biggest lead of the half, 41-21.
After intermission, VCU pushed its lead to 23 as Daniels hit a three and Burgess made a pair of free throws. Mason made a run midway through the half as freshman Corey Edwards hit a three-pointer and Wright added a driving three-point-play, cutting the lead to 55-44. But Burgess answered with a three-pointer and GMU never whittled the lead to single digits.
“I’m proud of how our guys hung in there,” Hewitt said.
Afterward, Burgess admitted the Rams were motivated by anger. He didn’t reveal the source, but while Burgess was being honored before the game, Mason players ran out on the court and began warming up.
“You noticed it. We fed off it,” was all Smart would say about the incident.
In the CAA tournament, both teams will receive opening-round byes. Saturday in the quarterfinals, VCU will play No. 7 Northeastern (13-16, 9-9) or No. 12 William & Mary (6-25, 4-14). Mason will play the winner of the game between No. 6 Georgia State (20-10, 11-7) and No. 13 Hofstra (10-21, 3-15).
“If we see them again, great,” Hewitt said of VCU. “But we’re just thinking about Saturday.”
