A tale of two games; JMU takes first, VCU dominates second

With a home loss to JMU Saturday still fresh in its mind, Virginia Commonwealth University was on a mission Monday night at the Convocation Center.

JMU was able to outscore VCU Saturday through offensive production from its starters.

And though they tried, VCU’s scoring machines, forwards Michael Doles and Nick George, couldn’t beat the Dukes by themselves.

Doles drained 50 percent of his shots, had four steals and finished with 22 points. George contributed 16 points and 12 rebounds.

VCU’s bench was a non-factor in that game, shooting for a combined 1 of 10 from the floor.

For JMU, junior forward David Cooper was back and finished with 12 points in 21 minutes of play. Sophomore center Eddie Greene-Long came off the bench for the Dukes and scored 12 points. Sophomore guard Ray Barbosa played the entire game and finished with 14 points and nine rebounds.

"[Barbosa] was the guy that we felt really hurt us," VCU coach Jeff Capel said. "We did a good job of keeping him outside the paint [Monday night]."

Junior guard Jomo Belfor also burned VCU in the two squad’s first matchup.

Belfor shot 9 of 10 from the foul line, 2 of 4 from behind the arc, tallied seven assists and had eight rebounds, finishing with 17 points. Belfor saw action for 31 minutes in that game.

But in Monday’s game, Belfor started the game with a turnover, finished with no points and was taken out after hurting his tailbone. He played just 18 minutes before Keener rested him.

Capel got his guys ready for the rematch by focusing on intensity and defense.

"We remembered how it felt [losing to JMU]. The loss woke them up," Capel said.

The awakened Rams came to play Monday in the rematch.

"They came out to fight," JMU sophomore guard Ray Barbosa said. "They were very aggressive."

In the first five minutes, VCU jumped out to a 14-point lead. George led the way making five of his first six shots. George finished with 16 points and remains among the top-five scorers in the Colonial Athletic Association.

"It was all about getting the ball in the right places," George said. "I knocked some shots down, got us going, and the rest of the guys joined in."

The VCU bench played better than Saturday. The supporting cast went from managing 2 points in the loss to scoring 21 points in their victory.