Men’s basketball hunts down the Stags in home exhibition

Drew Thompson, Sports Editor

Yenni Jimenez Acosta, Contributing Writer

VCU’s new men’s basketball team formally introduced themselves at the Siegel Center with a 82-64 win over Fairfield University on Sunday in the final exhibition match before the season opener.

The Rams won the tip and third-year forward Lazar Djokovic immediately opened the scoring with a layup. 

First-year guard Nyk Lewis notched his first points in the Stu with a three, and redshirt fourth-year guard Jadrian Tracey followed it up with another three. 

VCU created opportunities on nearly every offensive possession, but looked sloppy defensively. Fairfield dominated on the boards and got fouled often to keep the game within three points in the opening five minutes. 

The Rams started to pull away with a timely 9-0 run halfway through the first period, capped off with a block from fourth-year forward Christian Fermin into a transition layup for third-year forward Michael Belle. 

“It felt great to be back in the Siegel Center,” Belle said. “I just hope we continue to grow as a team and keep getting better; keep getting sharper.”

The offense dried up as both teams experienced a three minute scoring drought with eight minutes left in the first half. 

VCU’s sloppiness on the boards translated to its offense as it found itself in turnover trouble, with four turnovers in four minutes. 

Djokovic ended VCU’s drought with a layup; soon after, Fairfield scored a mid-range jumper. 

The Rams’ offense kept them ahead of the Stags despite their lack of rebounding and foul trouble. VCU hit double-digit fouls with less than a minute remaining in the first, but its offense propelled it into a 39-26 lead at halftime. 

The Rams made 57% of their shots from the field compared to the Stags’ 25%, however Fairfield stayed in the game with an additional eight shots and domination on the offensive boards. 

VCU started the second half from the free throw line after missing two three-pointers. Fairfield came back aggressively as it obtained its third team foul in the opening minutes.

Second-year guard Brandon Jennings scored VCU’s first five points with a layup and three free throws.

Third-year guard Tyrell Ward made a free throw, pushing VCU’s lead to 45-36. However, Fairfield embarked on a two minute 7-1 run to make it a five point game. 

Second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. helped the Rams push away with a three point jumper to stop the run, but Fairfield answered back immediately.

Fairfield’s plays got sharper as first-year forward Brandon Benjamin made a layup and a free throw to keep the five point difference.

Ward made a three point jumper for the Rams to widen the gap and start a 7-0 run halfway through the second period.

“[Ward’s] a great player,” Jennings said. “I think he had a great night out there. He made some shots; he got out in transition. That’s what we need from him.”

Third-year forward Keyshawn Mitchell pushed the gap to 14 points for the Rams with a three pointer.

Fairfield refused to go down easily as it responded with two free throws and a second chance layup by Benjamin, which brought the score back to 10. The Rams offensive consistency kept them in the driver seat as they made four consecutive field goals to maintain the lead.

VCU kept trying to open up the gap by scoring a layup and a free throw, but Fairfield responded with a three pointer and two free throws causing the score to close a bit with 9. 

Djokovic and Lewis combined for a highlight reel alley-oop as the Rams began pulling away near the game’s end.

The Rams had a rapid 9-2 run on the back of five consecutive field goals as they put the game out of reach for the Stags with less than five minutes remaining. 

The Rams claimed victory with a final score of 82-64.

VCU showed the growing pains expected from a new roster, but individual flashes of brilliance revealed the team’s latent potential throughout the game.

Ward led in scoring 18 points and Tracey stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, nine rebounds and five assists. Both teams had 40 rebounds, however half of Fairfield’s came on the offensive end. 

“20 offensive rebounds to a team that’s smaller is atrocious,” head coach Phil Martelli Jr. said. 

VCU will play its season opener against Wagner College at the Siegel Center on Monday, Nov. 3 at 7 p.m.