Location: St. Louis (Chaifetz Arena)
Updated Records: Saint Louis 25-2, 13-1 in A-10. VCU 21-7, 12-3 in A-10),
In a nutshell: VCU started the game with an 11-0 run, fueled by three treys -- one each by Brandon Jennings, Barry Evans and Lazar Djokovic. At halftime the Rams had a nine-point lead, 42-to-33. Then the Billikens opened the second half with a 24-to-4 surge.
The confidence the Rams exhibited in the first half disappeared in the second stanza. The game ended with a near brawl.
Lazar Djokovic scored a game-high 19 points. In addition he added seven rebounds and two blocks. Brandon Jennings scored 18 points, grabbed seven boards, made four steals and dished out three assists. Nyk Lewis chipped in nine points, eight rebounds and three steals.
Djokovic has now connected on 133 shots taken from the charity stripe this season. In the doing he has moved into ninth place on VCU’s single-season record list for free throws made.
NOTES: (Information provided by Chris Kowalczyk, VCU Assistant A.D.)
· The game was a tale of two halves. VCU led 42-33 at the break, but missed its first 13 three-point attempts of the second half, and shot 23 percent (7-of-31) overall from the floor in the period, as Saint Louis mounted its comeback. The Billikens shot 58 percent (21-of-36) in the second half, including 7-of-12 from beyond the arc.
· VCU took its last lead at 59-57 on a layup by Jennings with 10:06 remaining. From there, the Billikens used a 13-0 run over the next three minutes that included 3-pointers by Robbie Avila and Ishan Sharma to take a 70-59 lead with 7:23 left. The Rams wouldn’t seriously threaten again.
· The Rams shot 8-of-15 from three overall in the first half on the way to a nine-point halftime advantage.
· Kellen Thames led five Billikens in double figures with 16 points.
· The Rams were hurt by 16 turnovers, and the Black and Gold shot 33 percent (21-of-64) from the field in the game.
· VCU leads the all-time series against Saint Louis 17-8.
· The Rams saw their 10-game win streak snapped Friday.
NEXT UP: On Saturday, February 28, VCU will host Fordham. Tipoff at 12:30 p.m. TV: USA Network.
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