Notes and selected postgame comments (it was a long press conference) that didn’t appear it the print edition after VCU’s 93-90 overtime loss to East Carolina:

  *Eric Maynor’s 35 points were the most since Nick George scored 36 on William & Mary Feb. 23, 2005. It is tied for 20th all-time. Charles Wilkins holds the all-time record with 45 against West Liberty State on Dec. 20, 1968.

  *Sophomore forward Larry Sanders had a career-high 16 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks. Sophomore guard Joey Rodriguez started in place of Brandon Rozzell. Rodriguez was only 4 of 15 from the floor (11 points) but had eight assists. VCU had 22 assists, as did East Carolina.
    *Rozzell and East Carolina forward Jamar Abrams played together at Highland Springs High. Rozzell (nine points) was 4 of 9 from the floor but just 1 of 5 from 3-point land. Abrams had early foul trouble and played only 12 minutes (1 of 3, 2 points).

    VCU coach Anthony Grant:
    “I thought we were fortunate to be up four [at halftime] with the way they played. Their zone caused us some problems early. I thought we got frustrated with shots not falling, and we let it affect other areas of the game.
    “I thought our lack of success on offense deflated us, our energy, from a defensive standpoint. That continued in the second half. If you look at the numbers, they shot 63 percent from the field in the second half. We shot 39 percent from the field, and a lot of that was late when we started making some shots and kind of got ourselves going.”

    On settling for quick or long 3-pointers against East Carolina’s zone:
    “Late in the game, we started to attack the teeth of the [zone]. It’s unfortunate it took us 20 minutes, the last 10 of the first half and first 10 of the second, to figure out that we needed to be aggressive and attack.”

    On the 10 turnovers:
    “That was an improvement. The last time out we had 26. To have 22 assists in the game is also good. You could say we’re making strides. But again, when you give up over 50 percent from the field, and we gave up 16 offensive rebounds and we got outrebounded again. …. [Darrius Morrow, 16 points, 12 rebounds, nine offensive] had his way with us inside on the offensive glass. He had some very big baskets, some tip-ins and [drew] some fouls inside. He played terrific.”
   
    On East Carolina’s James Legan (8 of 13, 20 points) and Sam Hinnant (5 of 17, 18 points):
    “East Carolina’s got two of the best shooters in college basketball, the way they can rise up and make tough shots. It’s not like they’re not being guarded. They were contested.”

    On East Carolina’s DaQuan Joyner, who despite a foot injury, had 11 points in the first half, including five straight to end the period:
    “To me the guy who really made a difference for them tonight …  was Joyner. In the first half, I thought he came in and really gave them a spark. He had a terrific half. In the second half, they had several guys who stepped up.”
    Maynor, asked if the onus was on him to take over:
    “It’s not on me, that’s just in me. I’m trying to lead these guys as much as I can. I was able to get some shots to fall, get some key assists, and play defense on the other end.”

    On East Carolina point guard Brock Young (17 points, 11 assists):
    “He’s a good player. Fast. Distributes the ball. When you’ve got two guys around you that can really shoot it the way those two guys can really shoot it, makes his job a lot easier.”

    East Carolina coach Mack McCarthy:
    “If you had told me we’d play 45 minutes and only have 12 turnovers [against their pressure], I would have said we had a really good chance to win the basketball game.
    “The game kind of turned on a couple of things. Going with the small lineup in the first half [because of foul trouble] enabled us to hang in there. We had to play zone, and that at least changed what they were doing offensively. We didn’t play it perfectly all the time, but we did a good job making them take shots other than the ones they were comfortable taking. We knew we were small, so we rebounded as a group really well.
    “Then in the second half, they were hurting us on the backboard. DaQuan Joyner and Darrius Morrow went in and just changed the game completely by allowing them only one shot on four or five or six possessions in a row.”

    On what was he thinking when Maynor took over in the second half:
    “We certainly knew it was going to happen. It happens every game. He is a super player. He doesn’t force the action, although he can force the action under control. He does a great job of drawing fouls. He made big 3s. When he first got there, he was not a great perimeter shooter. He’s now a 40-plus [percent] perimeter shooter. He can beat you in a lot of ways. He’s a good defender, and the fact he’s long-armed can put pressure on you. He can get steals. … There’s a reason the guys in the NBA are watching him really closely.”

    Did he expect the 6-8 Morrow and the 6-7 Joyner to have that kind of impact off the bench?
    “I didn’t think DaQuan was going to play. He didn’t practice yesterday. He’s been in a great deal of pain. He came to me before the game and said, ‘Coach, I’m ready.’ He said, ‘I can play five or six   minutes at a time. I’ve worked really hard at the rehab.’ I was really surprised he was able to play that effectively. In the first half, he was the only big guy on the floor, if you count him as a big guy.
    “Morrow, he’s just going to get better and better. He has great feet, he has great hands, he has great instincts. And he still doesn’t know how to play hard all the time yet. He’s still learning the work ethic that it takes to be a great player. But he really has a chance to be a special player here at ECU.”

      On how the CAA compares to Conference USA:
      “I’m not sure. There have been years lately … that the leagues were comparable. There are a lot of people putting a lot of resources in Conference USA. The Colonial has stepped up, too. George Mason’s run made it a very visible national conference. VCU always has had a significant program. I think a lot of people in that league commit a lot of dollars and resources to their programs. It’s a quality league.”

    Hinnant, on taking the charge against Maynor as he tried to put VCU ahead with 20 seconds left in overtime:
    “The whole game, Coach told us Maynor liked the floater. When he comes through the lane, be able to take charges. We hadn’t took one the whole game. … When I saw him coming down the lane coming full speed, Coach Mac said jokingly I couldn’t get out of the way. I was right there, and luckily we got the charge.”
 
    On Maynor:
    “He took the game over in the second half. I didn’t know he could shoot like that. He hit a lot of big shots in the end, and he’s real calm with it. I look forward to seeing him in the NBA next year.”

    Young, on Maynor taking over:
    “That’s what he’s known for. Last night, I watched some of his YouTube. I saw him take over a couple of games, the George Mason game and the Duke game. I was expecting that. He’s a great player.”

Posted by Tim Pearrell in • College Sports • Virginia Commonwealth University
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