RICHMOND, Va. – They were always going to fall.
 
Sunday afternoon at the Stuart C. Siegel Center for VCU graduate forward Kuany Kuany the shots finally did.
 
Behind a career-high four made 3-pointers and 15 total points (5-for-7) the shots were hitting the bottom of the net all afternoon for Kuany in a performance that should help the veteran whisk away a personally challenging start to the 2023-24 season.
 
As difficult as the first nine games of the season were, Kuany never lost his confidence and trusted the shots would eventually fall.
 
"It felt great to see the shots fall since I did not get off to the start I wanted to early in the season," said Kuany. "To have them fall right now and to see my teammates happy, it made me feel good and grow in confidence and it just made me look forward to continuing to play."
 
Kuany's first bucket from beyond the arc at the 8:34 mark in the first half was his first of the season. It snapped an 0-of-17 stretch from beyond the arc this season that included numerous near-misses. As frustrating as the dry spell had become, Kuany tried to stay the course.
 
"I have just been in the gym getting in extra shots at night, in the morning and any time I can get in there" said Kuany. "I've listened to my teammates as they told me that the shots will fall and that I should keep shooting and that's what I've been doing."
 
A 6-foot-9, stretch 4-man, Kuany hit 55 career triples in four seasons at Cal, including 43 the past two years, before transferring to VCU this summer.
 
Kuany's transition to VCU included surgery to repair a torn right labrum during the offseason, which kept him sidelined for much of the summer. Despite the surgery and the slow start, Kuany, the affable Australian, who is seldom seen without a smile on his face, did his best to keep his chin up and his nose down through the adversity. On Sunday, it paid off.
 
"The start to the season and how it has begun has not affected his confidence or his desire to get in the gym and keep getting better," said VCU Head Coach Ryan Odom. "He has stayed with it every single day and it showed tonight."
 
"We know that Kuany is a good player, but he has stuck with it and so have we with him in the starting lineup. He had the game today that we know has been coming."
 
Kuany's second basket from downtown came at the 16:38 mark of the second half as the Rams began to set the foundation for a 51-point second half outburst.
 
At the 11:18 mark Kuany took a pass off a turnover, pulled up for a rainbow shot that bounced high off the back of the rim towards the Siegel Center rafters before coming straight down through the nylon.
 
Kuany's reaction was one of almost relief as he looked to the skies, raised his hands and let out a yell as VCU extended its lead to 55-40.
 
"Through everything the guys and the coaches stuck with me, knowing that my shots would come," said Kuany. "Even our Athletic Director [Ed McLaughlin] kept telling me to stick with it and that the shots will fall, showing me how much confidence the entire program has in me."
 
His final 3-pointer from the left corner fell at 8:24 mark in the second half, pushing VCU's lead to 20 points at 62-42 and capped off a career day from 3-point land.
 
"I saw the reaction from the team when I made my shots," said Kuany. "But that's not surprising since we care about each other and cheer for each other's successes."
 
For good measure, Kuany hammered home a vicious fast break slam dunk with 6:39 remaining --  a dramatic finish to a breakout performance.
 
On Sunday the shots were hitting the bottom of the net for VCU and Kuany, but it wasn't some stroke of luck, but rather the trust he had in himself and his trust in the process that paved the way.
 
"He has stayed with it every single day, and even on days where he did not shoot well, he would go back to the gym and shoot after the game," said Odom. "It is a great lesson for all of us, that you just have to stick with it."