Location: Nassau, Bahamas (Imperial Arena)
Updated records: VCU 4-2. SF 3-3.
In a nutshell: On Wednesday afternoon VCU's star forward Lazar Djokovic was hard to stop. He poured in a game-high 20 points, while his teammate, forward Barry Evans, contributed a double-double. That pair led the Rams past the South Florida Bulls in the opening round of the three-day tournament. Most of the game VCU stayed in the lead just by coasting..
Other noteworthy Rams stats: Djokovic grabbed five rebounds to go with his 20 points. Guard Terrence Hill scored 15 points, got two rebounds and dished for two assists. Evans scored 10 points and pulled down 10 boards.
NOTES: (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)
· Djokovic connected on 4-of-7 attempts from the floor, including 1-of-2 from beyond the arc in the contest, but he lived at the free throw line Wednesday, where he converted 11-of-18 attempts. He also corralled eight rebounds and blocked a shot
· Evans shot 5-of-10 from the floor and finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds on the way to his fifth career double-double.
· In all, four Rams reached double figures, including sophomore guard Terrence Hill Jr., who provided 15 points, while freshman guard Nyk Lewis added 11 and five rebounds
· Izaiyah Nelson led USF with 16 points.
· South Florida came into the game averaging 100 points per game this season, and the Bulls lowest point total prior to Wednesday was 95. But the Rams’ blanketing defense held USF to 39 percent (26-of-67) shooting from the field, including 2-of-13 from 3-point range.
· Djokovic’s presence helped VCU gain a 48-34 advantage in points in the paint..
· The Rams outrebounded the Bulls 47-39, including 27-14 in the second half. VCU grabbed 16 offensive rebounds.
· The Rams fell behind 12-3 in the game’s early moments, but used a 14-2 burst, punctuated by back-to-back Hill 3-pointers, to take a 17-14 lead at the 10:27 mark of the first half. Evans later scored the final two buckets of the first half, including a steal and dunk to beat the first half buzzer, to send the Black and Gold into the locker room with a 36-33 lead. The Rams would not trail again.
· VCU opened the second half with a 13-6 burst, capped by a Djokovic 3-pointer, to push its lead to 49-39 with 16:09 on the clock.
· Djokovic’s 18 free throw attempts were one shy of the VCU single-game record of 19, set by Shawn Hampton on Dec. 12, 1998 against Liberty.
*
Updated records: Vandy 7-0. VCU 4-3.
In a nutshell: The now 17th-ranked (AP Poll) Commodores were aggressive, confident and too damn quick. That, while the Rams seemed a step slow, maybe a little tired.
· Lewis converted 6-of-8 attempts at the free throw line and added a pair of assists for the Black and Gold
· Senior guard Jadrian Tracey added 15 points for VCU, while junior forward Michael Belle kicked in seven points and six rebounds off the bench for the Rams
· VCU junior forward Lazar Djokovic provided 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field and 6-of-8 from the line
· Vanderbilt’s Duke Miles led all players with 20 points. He was 10-of-11 at the charity stripe
· The Commodores entered the day as one of the most efficient offenses in the country and did little to dent that reputation. Vanderbilt shot 53 percent (27-of-51) from the field, including 50 percent (11-of-22) from 3-point range. VCU shot 36 percent (20-of-56) from the floor, including 24 percent (7-of-29) from beyond the arc
· Vandy also owned a 43-29 rebounding advantage
· The Commodores shot 61 percent (14-of-23) in the second half. A step-back 3-pointer by Lewis, followed by a Belle floater pushed VCU within 60-54 with 12:08 remaining, but Vanderbilt’s Tyler Nickel buried a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer on the next possession to kick off a 7-0 burst that pushed the margin out to 13
· In the first half, Nickel drilled back-to-back 3-pointers to ignite a 20-2 Vanderbilt run that gave the Commodores a 20-4 advantage at the 13:22 mark. But VCU chipped away. By halftime, a Tracey traditional three-point play and a Belle tip-in had pulled the Rams within 43-41 at intermission.
In a nutshell: In Friday afternoon's tilt guard Terrence Hill scored 21 points; four other Rams managed to score in double figures. In the doing, VCU completed the Battle 4 Atlantis holiday tournament with a 2-1 record, which was good for third place.
Other noteworthy Rams stats: Barry Evans scored 17 points, grabbed five boards and dished for three assists. Lazar Djokovic scored 11 points and got five rebounds.
NOTES: (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)
· Hill buried all five of his 3-point attempts in the game and finished 6-of-7 overall from the field. He also connected on all four of his free throw attempts and grabbed three rebounds.
· Senior forward Barry Evans stuffed the box score with 17 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Black and Gold.
· VCU senior guard Jadrian Tracey and junior forward Lazar Djokovic added 13 and 11 points, respectively.
· Amani Hansberry and Tyler Johnson led the Hokies with 16 points each.
· VCU shot 53 percent (30-of-57) from the field in the contest, including 11-of-21 from 3-point range. The Rams also owned a 36-28 edge on the glass.
· The Rams led by as many as 20 Friday, but with eight minutes remaining, Virginia Tech had whittled that advantage down to 68-62 with a 13-3 run. But Evans finished a tough two-point bucket in the paint with 6:39 left, and Hill scored five straight points in a 12-3 burst to extend the Rams’ lead to 80-65 with 4:55 remaining. Tracey effectively drove home the dagger with a 3-pointer to beat the shot clock with 3:29 remaining.
· Evans scored three early baskets and Tracey hit a step-back three as VCU sprinted to a 15-5 lead by the 15:59 mark. Virginia Tech answered later with a 12-0 run, fueled by a pair of Jaden Schutt 3-pointers, to take a 27-25 lead with 7:20 left in the first half. The Hokies would not lead again. Evans scored the next three buckets in the game and VCU eventually took a 45-35 lead into intermission.
· VCU and Virginia Tech were meeting for just the second time since 1995 and the first time since the 2013-14 season. The Rams lead the all-time series 12-10.
BOXSCORE
NEXT UP: VCU will host Samford on Fri,, Dec. 5. Tipoff at 7 p.m. at the Siegel Center. TV:: MASN or ESPN+.
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