Ben Martindale, Staff Writer
VCU took the court against the Saint Joseph’s University Hawks on Monday, building off its win against the University of Rhode Island last week.
The sold-out Siegel Center was electric as fans poured in on Martin Luther King Jr. Day to watch Rams basketball.
Both teams knocked down three pointers on their first possession but it was VCU’s defensive effort that helped it jump out to an early 7-3 lead.
The Hawks quickly responded, going on a 9-0 run, which forced the first Rams timeout of the game.
VCU leaned on its defense early, forcing five turnovers and a block in the first six minutes of play.
The game was knotted up at 14 with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half. VCU was excellent on the defensive end and St. Joe’s did not miss from three, shooting at 80%.
Three minutes later, the two teams remained deadlocked as both created opportunities with their defense.
Back-to-back threes from second-year guards Terrence Hill Jr. and Brandon Jennings gave VCU a three-point-lead with two and a half minutes to go in the first period.
The Rams led going into the half 34-29.
A textbook up-and-under layup from Jennings got VCU on the board to start the second half, 36-32 Rams.
VCU — which struggled mightily from the three-point range in the first half — picked up right where it left off in the second half, clanking three open threes to start. The Rams shot just 6-21 from three point range so far.
The Hawks took advantage of the Rams shooting woes and turned the tables, jumping out to a 46-39 lead.
Then third-year forward Michael Belle caught fire. First he finished inside with an impressive spinning layup to cut the lead to five. He then rattled off five more points in rapid succession to increase his total on the day to 16 on an impressive 7-9 shooting. Belle’s scoring barrage cut the Hawks’ lead to just three with 12 minutes remaining.
A big three from third-year guard Tyrell Ward and a pair of free throws from first-year guard Nyk Lewis tied the game at 55 halfway through the second half.
After trailing for almost the entire second half a massive put back slam from third-year forward Lazar Djokovic finally gave the Rams the lead with eight minutes to go.
“At half time we were talking, we knew we needed a lift,” Jennings said. “Coach emphasized that we needed to come out with an edge but we didn’t do that. He talked to us, chewed us out, and got us back on track.”
Belle continued his stellar play, using his size advantage to power inside for two and extend the Rams’ lead to 66-61 with three and a half minutes remaining in the half.
Belle had a monster night on both sides of the court — posting a career high 20 points and five boards to go along with five combined steals and blocks.
Every fan was on their feet as VCU inbounded the ball with a minute and a half left. After a deflection caused players on both sides to dive on the floor, Jennings cleared the pack and finished a contested layup to extend VCU’s lead to four.
VCU, which struggled with free throws throughout, was clutch down the stretch — knocking down all of their free throws in the final minute to secure the victory.
After a hard fought game, the Rams won 79-72.
“It’s about finding a way to win,” said coach Phil Martelli Jr. after the game. “When shots weren’t falling, when things weren’t going how we want them to go, we got down seven in the second half, we just found a way, we just found a way to grind it out.”
VCU will play its next game on the road at Davidson College on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 5 p.m.