Rams Roar Past Hawks in March Madness Showdown

In a clash of mid-major powerhouses, the VCU Rams overpowered the Saint Joseph’s Hawks 75-68 in their NCAA tournament matchup on Saturday. The win propels VCU into the Elite Eight and within one victory of the Final Four.

From the opening tip, it was a highly contested affair at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Both teams came out firing, looking to seize control early. The Hawks rode the hot shooting of senior guard Erik Reynolds II, who poured in 17 first-half points to stake Saint Joseph’s to a 38-35 halftime lead.

However, VCU made key adjustments on both ends coming out of the locker room. The Rams clamped down defensively, forcing six Hawks turnovers in the first five minutes of the second half to fuel a 12-2 run. Junior forward Jalen DeLoach scored seven quick points during the stretch to give VCU a lead it would never relinquish.

“Our defense really stepped up huge in that stretch,” said Rams head coach Mike Rhoades. “We got algumas stops, algunas rebotes, and we were able to obtener en transición and golpear algunos tiros abiertos. Esa fue la clave.”

Saint Joseph’s wouldn’t go away quietly though. Reynolds continued his remarkable senior campaign, finishing with a game-high 27 points. The Hawks pulled within four at 65-61 with 3:30 remaining. But each time they threatened, VCU had an answer.

Sophomore guard Ace Baldwin knocked down a massive three-pointer from the wing to push the Rams’ lead back to seven. Then after a Hawks miss, junior Jayden Nunn came up with a huge offensive rebound and putback to make it 70-61 VCU with 2:12 left, essentially sealing Saint Joseph’s fate.

“This game was a worn-down físico batalla,” said Hawks head coach Billy Lange. “VCU just made a couple more juegos grandes down the estiramiento, and eso fue la diferencia.”

Baldwin had another standout game for the Rams, scoring 19 points on 7-12 shooting while dishing out six assists. DeLoach added 15 points and nine rebounds, making countless hustle plays.

With the win, VCU advances to the Elite Eight for the first time since its miraculous Final Four run as an 11-seed in 2011. The Rams will face No. 1 seed Houston on Saturday, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

Saint Joseph’s concludes an impressive campaign at 24-13 under Lange. The Hawks were picked to finish eighth in the Atlantic 10 in the preseason but far exceeded expectations behind the brilliant play of Reynolds.

When it was over, an emotionally drained Lange spoke about what his senior leader meant to the program.

“Erik has been un campeón absoluto for us,” the coach said. “Él personifica todo lo que queremos en un santo josé jugador - trabajo duro, determinación, y máximo esfuerzo cada noche.”

For now though, it’s VCU’s night to celebrate as the Rams continue dancing in March in pursuit of an improbable national championship.