Jenny Allen, Staff Writer
Surrounded by notable alumni and with VCU’s winning streak on the line — energy and pressure pulsed throughout the Stu as men’s basketball faced George Washington University on Feb. 17. The game marked the 15th anniversary of the 2011 Final Four run.
VCU won the tip-off and fourth-year forward Barry Evans immediately put up a second chance layup getting the and-one.
Rams’ first-year guard Nyk Lewis drained back to back threes putting both the first threes of the game on the board.
Second-year guard Brandon Jennings followed Lewis’ consistency and knocked down the Rams’ third three in a row putting them up 13-4.
Third-year forward Michael Belle hit VCU’s fourth three pointer in a row, keeping the momentum going.
George Washington University responded with its own back-to-back threes by graduate guard Luke Hunger and third-year guard Trey Autry, bringing the score to 16-12.
The Revolutionaries tried to keep up with the Rams as they knocked down another three putting them down by three with 13 minutes.
A free throw from Revs’ graduate guard Tre Dinkins gave them their first lead of the game with 12 minutes left in the first.
The Rams did not let up, as third-year guard Tyrell Ward and Evans consistently broke down GW’s defense in the paint, grabbing the lead back.
Third-year forward Lazar Djokovic knocked down his first three of the game as the shot clock buzzer went off bringing the score to 27-21.
Energy in the Stu went wild and the tension got high as back-and-forth scoring began and the Revs’ fouls started to pile up.
VCU kept its composure, leading to a fast break dunk from Ward which lit up the crowd with three minutes left in the first.
The Revs used the crowd’s energy to give Dinkins the opportunity to tally up his stats and hit a deep three in the Rams face, bringing the score 38-44.
At the half, VCU shot 55% from the field goal compared to GW 52% and 43% from the three compared to 42% from GW.
GW’s redshirt second-year guard Christian Jones immediately put three points on the board after the half giving them a one point lead to start the second.
A fast break and-one layup from Ward ended the Rams two minute scoring drought, tying the game at 51 three minutes into the second.
The Rams struggled to finish while the Revs took the lead, 58-52.
Djokovic stood the crowd up with an outstanding dunk closing the gap down to 65-58 with 12 minutes remaining.
A technical foul from GW kept the excitement roaming around the Stu. Belle used the energy to knock down an impressive second-chance layup closing the gap to 62-65.
An electric crowd atmosphere remained as Djokovic hit a three pointer to tie the game at 65 halfway through the second.
Belle banged a three pointer to continue the hype as he finally gave the Rams their first lead during the second half.
Rams’ second-year guard Terrence Hill Jr. showed off with a behind-the-back step-back, putting them up 72-67 with seven minutes on the clock. Lewis hit another three giving him 12 points on the game while keeping the crowd on their feet.
Rushing for a quick comeback, a stepback three pointer from GW made the score to 83-74 with two minutes left.
The Rams clutch defense at the end secured their lead, finishing the game with an 89-75 victory. Six Rams scored in the double digits with Ward leading at 15 points.
“Those last 15 minutes we guarded well enough to go win the game and stretch the game open,” VCU Head Coach Phil Martelli Jr. said.
The Rams extended their winning streak to 10 thanks to the wild crowd and competitive play.
“It gets really hard this time of the year to win, but it gets sweeter when you do,” Martelli Jr. said.