Malachi Keys, Contributing Writer
VCU routed the University of Dayton with a score of 99-73 in an electric atmosphere at the Stu this snowy Friday night.
Riding a six game winning streak, the Rams were looking to continue their momentum against a formidable Atlantic 10 opponent in the Flyers.
The cold outside did not stop the Black and Gold from heating up early offensively, jumping out to a quick 11-5 lead.
Additionally early in the first half, the Rams stifled the Flyers on the defensive end of the floor.
Although shot blocking is not considered VCU’s expertise, the Rams had four blocks collectively in the first 10 minutes of gameplay; three of them coming from third-year forward Lazar Djokovic.
“We were adjusting our defense a little bit, so I was allowed to drop back so I could wait for them to go up,” Djokovic said. “I got help, and guys were staying in place so I got to block shots.”
On the offensive side of the court, the Rams were hot.
Redshirt fourth-year guard Jadrian Tracey and second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. were a big help on the offensive end with 12 and 11 points in the first half respectively.
Tracey would finish the game with a game-high and season-high 26 points; the most points scored by a Ram in a game this year.
“We were definitely trying to expose a few mismatches,” Tracey said. “We were aggressive on the rim. We were aggressive on offense and defense and it helped us out a lot. We did a great job of moving the ball tonight.”
Tracey would also add three rebounds and two assists to the stat sheet.
10 minutes into the game VCU was leading by just one point — 19-18, but by halftime it was up 50-27.
Coming out of halftime, it was more of the same for the Black and Gold. The Rams pushed the lead to 35 points eight minutes into the second half.
VCU continued to be aggressive on defense forcing 16 turnovers from the Flyers. These turnovers helped contribute to fast breaks, scoring 30 points off of them.
Both teams were effective in pounding the paint leading to a considerable amount of free throws attempted — 68 total for both teams combined. The difference though was that VCU shot 81.6% from the stripe while Dayton shot only 60%.
VCU also got help from its bench, dropping 44 points on the evening.
VCU head coach Phil Martelli Jr. thinks this is the most complete game that his squad has played all season.
“Both ends of the floor; the offense was clicking, the defense was clicking; that’s what we can be,” Martelli Jr. said. “We have to make it consistent. We’ve been preaching that. Now it’s on to the next one. It won’t be any easier going on the road in a tough environment.”
VCU will go on the road against La Salle University this Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 6:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.