RICHMOND, Va. – When Head Coach Shaka Smart was asked about the components of his "Wreaking Havoc" style of play, two attributes he listed were "intensity and focus."

His Virginia Commonwealth University men's basketball team displayed both of those attributes in a hard-fought 82-80 victory over Rhode Island at the Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center on Wednesday night.

"I thought this was the most intense game that we've had this year," Smart commented. "Every possession was a big one and it's a good thing that we can take away a win and still be able to use this as a learning experience for our guys."

It wasn't a sure thing as URI's Marquis Jones threw up a half-court shot that nearly fell through the basket as time expired after VCU went 0-for-3 from the charity stripe over the last minute.

"There's a lot we can learn from the end of that game, but three big ones," Smart said. "First we have to take care of the ball. Second, we have to make our free throws and third, we have to be better on the defensive end."

Leading the way was junior Larry Sanders (Fort Pierce, Fla.) (right), who registered his second consecutive double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Classmate Brandon Rozzell (Richmond, Va.) (above) added a career-high 17 points off the bench and sophomore Bradford Burgess (Midlothian, Va.) (bottom left) tallied double-figures for the fifth time this year with 16 points.

The first half wasn't a pretty one with a combined 20 turnovers, but after being down as much as seven early on, the Black & Gold climbed on Burgess' back as the second-year standout went 4-for-4 from the field, including two from long range, for 12 first-half points to send the two teams into the locker rooms tied at 40-40.

Much like the first half, Rhode Island came out blazing and held a 53-47 lead with 16:17 left in the contest.

Three-pointers from Rozzell, Sanders and junior Ed Nixon (St. Petersburg, Fla.) ignited a 17-4 VCU run that gave the Black & Gold its largest lead of the game at 64-57 with 11:20 remaining.

A lay-up by seven-footer Will Martell brought URI even with VCU at 72-72, but that was the closest it would be the rest of the way thanks to steals from Nixon and Rozzell, which led to fast-break baskets and opened up the lead to 80-74 with under five minutes to play.

The missed free-throws by the Black & Gold allowed Rhode Island back in the game, but Jones' last ditch effort came up just short.

Junior Joey Rodriguez (Oviedo, Fla.) dished out 10 assists to go along with six points and two steals, while Nixon added nine points, two rebounds and two steals off the bench for VCU.

Martell led five URI players in double-figures with 18, while Keith Cothran added 16 points and four steals a losing effort.

VCU is back in action on Saturday afternoon when it opens up Colonial Athletic Association play against the Tribe of William & Mary. The 12 p.m. contest will be televised on Comcast SportsNet.