The race towards Brooklyn continued on Friday night at the Siegel Center with VCU (6-3) vs. Davidson (5-4). Both teams sit in the middle of the Atlantic 10 pack in search of breathing room with a victory towards the Top 4.
Friday Night HAVOC!
HAVOC came out to play early in the contest. VCU implemented heavy pressure on the Wildcats to force 7 turnovers just before the under-16 timeout. Marcus Evans and Issac Vann provided points for the Rams however VCU shot 2-of-9 from the field.
Turnovers continued being Davidson’s enemy as VCU increased the lead. Coach McKillop burned a timeout after turnover #9 that led to KeShawn Curry slamming the ball home and turning Siegel Center up. Offensively VCU erupted with an 11-0 run that included a three-pointer from Bones Hyland to go up to double digits with 12:14 remaining.
Gone But Not Forgotten
VCU’s 13-point lead quickly diminished to 1 point after a 12-0 run from the Wildcats. Kellan Grady scored the visitors’ first three-pointer and Davidson was off to the races. Hyunjung Lee knocked down three and an And-1 layup to bring life back to the Wildcats before halftime.
Evans and Vann landed a counter from three-point land while Jenkins kept swiping the ball away from Davidson. Vann knocked down VCU’s second three of the game followed by #3 and #4 from Marcus Evans. Jenkins kept the ball hot defensively with 5 steals in the first half as VCU went off to the races once again.
At halftime, the Black & Gold led Davidson 35-20. HAVOC forced 16 turnovers that turned into 17 points for VCU along with 10 steals.
All-Star Friday Night?
Marcus Santos-Silva began a dunking contest between the Black & Gold into the next half of basketball. VCU attacked the rim repeatedly with steals turning into uncontested fastbreaks and alley-oop finishes. Corey Douglas, Issac Vann, and Heson Ward took flight as Ram Nation roared in approval.
Hyunjung Lee put Davidson on his back in hopes of a comeback. Lee scored 14 points during a 6-minute span including 5 consecutive free throws to put the Wildcats in striking distance of VCU. Grady and Gudmunsson found their shot after Lee ran out of gas giving Davidson one last lifeline.
Ball Game!
Marcus Evans took the game over scoring 7 straight points for the Black & Gold putting Davidson’s chances on thing ice as time trickled down. Evans assisted Simms on the corner three-ball with just over 3 minutes left putting VCU up 10 points once again.
February began with a sweet victory for VCU over Davidson 73-62. Davidson had a season-high 21 turnovers against HAVOC and VCU scored 23 points off those miscues. VCU scored a new record from the free-throw line with a perfect 19-for-19. Marcus Evans led with 19 points and De’Riante Jenkins scored an additional 15 points.
See You Back At The Stu!
Next up for VCU Men’s Basketball is George Mason stepping inside the Siegel Center on Wednesday, February 12th. This A-10 clash begins at 7 PM on ESPNU.
